talking, n. meanings, etymology and more (2025)

Quotations

Factsheet

What does the noun talking mean?

There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun talking. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

How common is the noun talking?

About 0.9occurrences per million words in modern written English

See frequency

How is the noun talking pronounced?

British English

/ˈtɔːkɪŋ/

TAW-king

U.S. English

/ˈtɔkɪŋ/

TAW-king

/ˈtɑkɪŋ/

TAH-king

See pronunciation

Where does the noun talking come from?

Earliest known use

Middle English

The earliest known use of the noun talking is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).

OED's earliest evidence for talking is from around 1300, in the Childhood of Jesus.

talking is formed within English, by derivation.

Etymons: talk v., ‑ing suffix1.

See etymology

Nearby entries

  1. talkee, n.1809–
  2. ?1740–
  3. talker, n.c1400–
  4. talker-seer, n.1884
  5. talkfest, n.1896–
  6. talk film, n.1927–
  7. 1598–
  8. talkie, n.1913–
  9. talk-in, n.1966–
  10. talkiness, n.1850–
  11. talking, n.c1300–
  12. talking, adj.1560–
  13. talking blues, n.1927–
  14. talking book, n.1920–
  15. talking circle, n.1849–
  16. talking clock, n.1867–
  17. talking craft, n.1540–1659
  18. talking cure, n.1895–
  19. talking doll, n.1841–
  20. talking drum, n.1894–
  21. talking head, n.1848–

Browse more nearby entries

Etymology

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Meaning & use

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Pronunciation

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Forms

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Frequency

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Compounds & derived words

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talking, n. meanings, etymology and more (2025)
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