emptying
UK[ˈɛmptiɪŋ]US[ˈɛmptiɪŋ]
n
The action of making something empty or the state of becoming empty.
verb (present participle)
The form of the verb 'empty' used to indicate an ongoing action.
Morpheme Breakdown
empty
ing
empty
to make empty
ing
noun-forming suffix / present participle suffix
Etymology
The word 'emptying' is a modern English formation built upon the older adjective and verb 'empty'. Its core, 'empty', traces back to the Old English ǣmettig, which originally described a state of being at leisure or unoccupied, rather than a physical void. This semantic evolution from "idle" to "containing nothing" illustrates a common metaphorical shift where abstract human conditions are applied to describe physical states. The addition of the '-ing' suffix, a productive Germanic element, transforms the verb into a noun denoting the process or result of the action, or marks its continuous verbal form. Thus, 'emptying' logically combines the concept of creating an unoccupied space with the grammatical marker for ongoing action or nominalization.
Analysis
Structure: empty (to make empty) + ing (noun-forming suffix / present participle suffix)
- empty: From Old English ǣmettig, meaning "at leisure, unoccupied," from ǣmetta ("leisure"). The modern sense of "containing nothing" developed from the idea of being "unoccupied" or "idle."
- ing: A suffix of Germanic origin, used to form nouns from verbs (gerunds) and present participles.
Examples
The emptying of the stadium after the concert took nearly an hour.
She was quietly emptying the contents of the drawer onto the bed.
The slow emptying of the lake revealed a hidden landscape.