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hang·ing (hăngĭng)
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n.
1. A method of execution whereby the person is dropped and suspended from a rope around the neck, resulting in death from severing of the spinal cord, strangulation, or other causes.
2. Something, such as a tapestry, that is hung.
3. A descending slope or an inclination.
adj.
1. Situated, as on a steep slope, so as to appear to hang down: a hanging garden.
2. Projecting downward or outward; overhanging: hanging vines; a hanging staircase.
3. Suited for holding something that hangs: a hanging rack.
4. Baseball Being a pitch that fails to break as intended.
5.
a. Deserving death by hanging: a hanging crime.
b. Disposed to inflict severe sentences, such as death by hanging: a hanging judge.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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