How do you pronounce groaning?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɡɹoʊnɪŋ/.

Where does groaning come from?

It is traced to Middle English.

groaning

/ˈɡɹoʊnɪŋ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.90 in modern English

Syllables: groan-ing
IPA: /ˈɡɹoʊnɪŋ/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

That groans.

adj

Heavily laden, as if to creak under the strain.

noun

A low sound associated with extended suffering, sorrow, and toil.

noun

Ellipsis of groaning time (“childbirth, labour”).

Obsolete

verb

present participle and gerund of groan

Example Sentences

"We sat down to a groaning table and feasted all evening."
"From the nearby rail yards came clangings, groanings, chuggings."

Etymology

From Middle English gronynge (“groaning”), from Old English grānung; equivalent to groan + -ing. Conflated with Middle English gronende, present participle of gronen, from Old English grāniende, present participle of grānian (“to groan”). Analyzable as groan + -ing.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: gronynge, grānung
Suffix: groan

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɡɹoʊnɪŋ/
British English: /ˈɡɹəʊnɪŋ/

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

groanings (plural)

Derived Forms

groaningly ungroaning

Phrases

groaning ale groaning beer groaning board groaning bread groaning cake groaning cheese groaning drink groaning malt

Rhymes With

owning zoning moaning cloning postponing phoning honing stoning toning loaning condoning droning