Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
noun
"Becoming," as opposed to "Being"; a phenomenon considered as occurrence rather than appearance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
By extension, that which is ephemeral or inessential.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek γιγνόμενον (gignómenon, “thing which is becoming”), neuter present middle participle of γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “I become”). Compare Timaeus 38B: τό τε γεγονὸς εἶναι γεγονὸς καὶ τὸ γιγνόμενον εἶναι γιγνόμενον, ἔτι τε τὸ γενησόμενον εἶναι γενησόμενον (tó te gegonòs eînai gegonòs kaì tò gignómenon eînai gignómenon, éti te tò genēsómenon eînai genēsómenon, “what is become is become, and what is becoming is becoming, and what is about to become is about to become”) (translated by Bernadotte Perrin)
