practicing
UK[ˈpræk.tɪ.sɪŋ]US[ˈpræk.tɪ.sɪŋ]
adj
actively engaged in a specified profession or activity
v
(present participle of 'practice') performing an activity or exercise regularly to improve or maintain one's proficiency
Morpheme Breakdown
pract
ic
ing
pract
do, act
ic
adjective suffix
ing
present participle suffix
Etymology
the word 'practicing' is built upon the classical foundation of action and application. its core, 'pract', descends from the greek 'praktikos', meaning 'concerned with action', which itself originates from the verb 'prassein', meaning 'to do, to act'. the suffix '-ic' was added in latin to form adjectives, creating 'practicus' (practical). entering english via old french 'practique', the base evolved into 'practice'. the modern participle form 'practicing' appends the germanic '-ing' suffix, which denotes ongoing action. thus, the word's literal construction of 'acting' + 'characterized by' + 'ongoing' perfectly captures its contemporary meaning of being actively engaged in performing a skill or profession.
Analysis
Structure: pract (do, act) + ic (adjective suffix) + ing (present participle suffix)
'pract' from latin 'practicus' (practical), from greek 'praktikos' (fit for action). 'ic' from latin '-icus', greek '-ikos', forming adjectives. 'ing' from old english '-ende', '-ing', forming present participles and verbal nouns.
Examples
she is a practicing attorney with her own firm.
he spends his evenings practicing the piano.
to maintain her license, she must remain a practicing physician.