Gerund
In Latin and English grammar, the
gerund is a non-finite verb form that can function as a noun. The English gerund ends in
-ing; the same verb form also serves as the English present participle, and as a pure verbal noun. The gerund is the form that names the action of the verb. In some cases, a noun ending in
-ing sometimes serves as a gerund, while at other times serving as a non-gerund indicating the product resulting from an action. The latter case can often be distinguished by the presence of a determiner before the noun, such as
that,
a, or
her in these examples. The Latin gerund is a verb form which behaves similarly to a noun, although it can only appear in certain oblique cases. In relation to other languages, the term
gerund may be applied to a form which has noun-like uses like the Latin and English gerunds, or in some cases to various other non-finite verb forms, such as adverbial participles.
Gerund comes from the Latin
gerundium, which itself derives from the gerundive of the Latin verb
gero, namely
gerundus, meaning " to be carried out".