abuilding
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See also: a-building
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
a- (“in, on”) + building (“the act or process of building”)
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
abuilding (not comparable)
- (archaic, excluding US) Being built or under construction, as a structure or a vessel. [First attested in the mid 16th century.][1]
- c. 1658, Pierre-Esprit Radisson, Voyages of Peter Esprit Radisson:
- Heere we made a double floore in the hall where the shippe was abuilding, so that the wild men, being ignorant of our way of building, could not take any notice of our cuningnesse, which proved to our desire.
- 1913, William Dean Howells, Familiar Spanish Travels:
- It [the monastery of St. Lawrence in Escorial] cost eight millions; it was twenty-four years abuilding, and the founder himself saw it furnished and enjoyed it twelve years after, […]
- (archaic, excluding US) Developing or arising, as a trend or an idea. [First attested in the mid 16th century.][1]
- a. 1898, William Cowper Brann, Woman's Wickedness:
- This may signify much; among other things that the courtesan is creeping into social favor—even that a new code of morals is now abuilding, in which she will be the grand exemplar.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “abuilding”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 10.