Etymology
From Middle English hunting, from Old English huntung.
Equivalent to hunt from Middle English hunten, from Old English huntian (“to hunt”), from Proto-West Germanic *huntōn (“to hunt, capture”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ḱent- (“to catch, seize”). Related to Old High German hunda (“booty”), Gothic 𐌷𐌿𐌽𐌸𐍃 (hunþs, “body of captives”), Old English hūþ (“plunder, booty, prey”), Old English hentan (“to catch, seize”) + -ing.
Noun
hunting (countable and uncountable, plural huntings)
- The act of finding and killing a wild animal, either for sport or with the intention of using its parts to make food, clothes, etc.
- Every December, we go deer hunting.
- Looking for something, especially for a job or place to live.
- When the rent was raised, I figured it was time for us to go house hunting in a different neighborhood.
- (engineering) Fluctuating around a central value without stabilizing.
- (telephony) The process of determining which of a group of telephone lines will receive a call.
Usage notes
Although hunting is technically a hypernym for fishing, fishing is generally not thought of as a type of hunting since it involves aquatic animals. Hunting is also the present participle of the verb "hunt."
Derived terms
- bow hunting
- fox hunting
- house-hunting
- hunting dog
- hunting ground
- hunting jacket
- hunting knife
- hunting lodge
- hunting spider
- hunting sword
- hunting whip
- job hunting
Credits
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