working

See also: Working

English

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈwɜːkɪŋ/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈwɝkɪŋ/
Audio (General American): (file)
Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)kɪŋ
Hyphenation: work‧ing

Etymology 1

From Middle English werking, werkynge, warkynge, worchinge, from Old English wyrċing (“working”), verbal noun of wyrċan (“to work”), equivalent to work +‎ -ing. Cognate with Scots wirking, warking, Dutch werking, German Wirkung.

Noun

working (countable and uncountable, plural workings)

(usually in the plural) Operation; action.
Method of operation.
(arithmetic) The incidental or subsidiary calculations performed in solving an overall problem.
Be sure to check your working.
Fermentation.
(of bodies of water) Becoming full of a vegetable substance.
A place where work is carried on.
the abandoned mine workings
(countable) A train movement.
- 1960 December, Cecil J. Allen, “Operating a mountain main line: the Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon: Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 743:
  From time to time the coaches of the Lötschberg Railway itself, which in comfort and décor can rank with the finest in Europe today, travel far from the frontiers of Switzerland on through workings such as these.

Derived terms

Translations

operation; action

Bulgarian: действие (bg) n (dejstvie), функциониране n (funkcionirane)
Finnish: työ (fi), työskenteleminen (fi), työn tekeminen (fi), toimiminen (fi)
Portuguese: serviço (pt) m

method of operation

Bulgarian: действие (bg) n (dejstvie), опериране (bg) n (operirane), обработка (bg) f (obrabotka)
Finnish: toimintatapa (fi), työskentelytapa
French: fonctionnement (fr) m
German: Ansatz (de) m
Portuguese: funcionamento (pt) m

fermentation

Bulgarian: ферментация f (fermentacija)
Finnish: käyminen (fi)

becoming full of a vegetable substance

Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
Finnish: rehevöityminen

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked‌: "action of the verb work"

French: ^{(please verify)} fonctionnement (fr) m
Scots: ^{(please verify)} wirkin

Etymology 2

From Middle English workyng, wirkynge, worchinge, werchinge, workinde, wirkand, worchende, wurchende, from Old English wyrċende, from Proto-Germanic *wurkijandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *wurkijaną (“to work”), equivalent to work +‎ -ing. Compare Scots wirkand, werkand, warkand (“working”), Dutch werkend (“working, acting”), German wirkend (“acting, working”).

Verb

working

present participle and gerund of work
Leave him alone; he’s working.

Adjective

working (not comparable)

That is or are functioning.
a working ventilator
That suffices but requires additional work; provisional.
a working copy of the script

a working title
In paid employment.
working mothers
Of or relating to employment.
the working week
Enough to allow one to use something.
a working knowledge of computers
Used in real life; practical.
The working minimum focus distance is the distance from the closest focusable subject to the lens.
(obsolete) Efficacious.
- c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene iii:
  You ſee my Lord, what woorking woordes hee hath.
  But when you ſee his actions ſtop ^{[sic – meaning top]} his ſpeech,
  Your ſpeech will ſtay, or ſo extol his worth,
  As I ſhalbe commended and excuſde
  For turning my poore charge to his direction.

Synonyms

(functioning):: functioning; up (mainly used of computers):
(that suffices but requires further work):: draft, provisional, temporary
(in paid employment):: employed, in employment
(of or relating to employment):: work
(enough to allow one to use something):: basic

Antonyms

(antonym(s) of “functioning”):: broken, broken-down, down (antonym(s) of “mainly used of computers”):

Hyponyms

known-working

Derived terms

Translations

functioning

Armenian: աշխատող (hy) (ašxatoġ)
Bulgarian: работещ (bg) (rabotešt)
Danish: fungerende (da)
Esperanto: funkcianta
Finnish: toimiva (fi)
Georgian: მუშა (ka) (muša)
Italian: funzionante (it)
Portuguese: funcional (pt)
Romanian: funcțional (ro)
Russian: работоспособный (ru) (rabotosposobnyj), рабо́чий (ru) (rabóčij)
Swedish: fungerande (sv)
Turkish: please add this translation if you can

suffices but requires additional work

Armenian: աշխատանքային (hy) (ašxatankʻayin)
Bulgarian: работен (bg) (raboten)
Finnish: työ- (fi), keskeneräinen (fi)
Polish: roboczy (pl)
Spanish: básico (es), provisional (es), bosquejado (es), esbozado (es)

in paid employment

Armenian: աշխատող (hy) (ašxatoġ)
Bulgarian: работещ (bg) (rabotešt)
Danish: erhvervsaktiv
Finnish: työssäkäyvä (fi); työtätekevä (fi) (working class)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: yrkesaktiv

Nynorsk: yrkesaktiv

of or relating to employment

Armenian: աշխատանքային (hy) (ašxatankʻayin)
Bulgarian: работнически (bg) (rabotničeski)
Finnish: työ- (fi)
Italian: lavorativo (it)
Polish: roboczy (pl)

enough to allow one to use something

Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
Finnish: riittävä (fi)

Related terms

work

References

William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “working”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
“working”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.