sneezing
UK[ˈsniːzɪŋ]US[ˈsniːzɪŋ]
v
the present participle or gerund of sneeze; the act of expelling air forcibly from the nose and mouth due to irritation of one's nostrils.
Etymology
the verb 'sneeze' originates from middle english 'snesen', which itself evolved from old english 'fnēosan'. this old english term is of germanic origin, related to dutch 'fniezen' and german 'niesen'. the initial 'fn-' cluster in old english proved difficult to pronounce and simplified to 'sn-' in middle english, a common phonetic shift. the core meaning of expelling air suddenly and involuntarily through the nose has remained remarkably consistent from its old english root to the modern act of sneezing. the '-ing' suffix is a native english grammatical marker used to form the present participle.
Analysis
the word is a simplex form derived from the verb 'sneeze' with the addition of the present participle/gerund suffix '-ing'. the base verb 'sneeze' is a single, unanalyzable morpheme in modern english.
Examples
the dust in the attic set off a fit of sneezing.
cover your mouth and nose when sneezing to prevent spreading germs.
allergic rhinitis often causes symptoms like sneezing and a runny nose.