Words · Familiar
pinning
/ˈpɪnɪŋ/ · 7 letters · 4 distinct letters
- noun
a mutual promise of a couple not to date anyone else; on college campuses it was once signaled by the giving of a fraternity pin
Word history
History of pin
From Middle English pinne, from Old English pinn (“pin, peg, bolt”), from Proto Germanic *pinnaz, *pinnō, *pint (“protruding point, peak, peg, pin, nail”), from Proto Indo European *bend (“protruding object, pointed peg, nail, edge”). Related to pen (“enclosure”). No relation to classical Latin pinna (“fin, flipper, wing like appendage, wing, feather”), which was extended to mean "ridge, peak, point", and often confused with Latin penna (“wing, feather”).
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Why this word counts
- Where it comes from
- Listed in the English Speller Database at size 35: the core list of everyday words.
- How common it is
- Used about once in every million words.
- In the spelling bee
- Daily answer A standard word with a definition we can show, so it can be a daily answer.