Etymograph

English

singing

Singing comes from Middle English syngyng ‘singing’, from singen ‘to sing’ + -ing.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500singen1
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500syngyng2‘singing’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1888singing2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Middle English syngyng
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English singing
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1888, Rudyard Kipling, The Phantom Rickshaw: “I was aware that some one, apparently at a…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500singenWiktionary, Middle English syngyng
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500syngyngWiktionary, English singing‘singing’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1888singingWiktionary, English singing. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1888, Rudyard Kipling, The Phantom Rickshaw: “I was aware that some one, apparently at a…”

Word family

English words that share an ancestor with singing, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.

through Middle English singen

3 more relatives in the full family tree

No ads, ever.

Become a founding member, $29 onceI have a code

Explore everything descended from singen →

No ads, ever. This is how the app stays alive.

Become a founding member, $29 onceWear this word, $32Support the app

Today it means

noun The act of using the voice to produce musical sounds; vocalizing.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “singing”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Middle English syngyng. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English singen / singing