being

Etymology

Originated 1250–1300 from Middle English being; see be + -ing.

verb

  1. present participle and gerund of be

noun

  1. A living creature.
  2. The state or fact of existence, consciousness, or life, or something in such a state.
    1608-1634, John Webster (and perhaps Thomas Heywood), Appius and Virginia Claudius, thou / Wast follower of his fortunes in his being.
  3. (philosophy) That which has actuality (materially or in concept).
  4. (philosophy) One's basic nature, or the qualities thereof; essence or personality.
  5. (obsolete) An abode; a cottage.

conj

  1. Given that; since.
    ’Tis a hard matter therefore to confine them, being they are so various and many […]. , New York Review Books 2001, p.280

Attribution / Disclaimer All definitions come directly from Wiktionary using the Wiktextract library. We do not edit or curate the definitions for any words, if you feel the definition listed is incorrect or offensive please suggest modifications directly to the source (wiktionary/being), any changes made to the source will update on this page periodically.