riding

riding · verb, noun¹

1. Middle English · inherited fromrydyng
2. English todayriding

From Middle English rydyng; equivalent to ride + -ing.

riding · noun²

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*þridjô“third”
2. Old Norse · derived fromþriðjungr“third part”
3. Old English · inherited from*þriþing
4. Middle English · inherited fromtrithing
5. English todayriding

PIE word *tréyes From trithing (initial /t/ absorbed into preceding north, south, east, west, inner ⟨th⟩ already sometimes /d/ in Middle English), from Middle English trithing, tridinge, from Old English *þriþing, from Old Norse þriðjungr (“third part”), from Proto-Germanic *þridjô (“third”) (English third). Equivalent to third + -ing; compare with farthing (“fourth part”). Cognate with English trithing. The folk etymology that connects the term to the area a horse-rider could cover in a single day is incorrect, but may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation.

Words from the same roots