taking

• IPA^(key): /ˈteɪkɪŋ/

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• Rhymes: -eɪkɪŋ

taking (comparative more taking, superlative most taking)

1. Alluring; attractive.
   • 1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-History of Britain from the Birth of Jesus Christ until the Year M.DC.XLVIII, London: John Williams, “The Tenth Century,” p. 128,

     […] a Proteus-Devil appeared unto him, changing into Shapes, but fixing himself at last into the form of a Fair Woman. Strange, that Satan (so subtil in making his Temptations most taking) should preferre this form […]

   • 1793, Charles Dibdin, The Younger Brother, London, for the author, Volume 2, Chapter 9, p. 263,

     His speech from the hustings was very original, and therefore very taking.

   • 1878, Thomas Hardy, The Return of the Native, Book 3, Chapter 1,

     “Yes, Paris must be a taking place,” said Humphrey. “Grand shop-winders, trumpets, and drums; and here be we out of doors in all winds and weathers—”

   • 1909, Frank Sidgwick, Love and battles, page 291:

     The gentleman had left for London after lunch. Yes, alone; but he had lunched in the hotel with a lady. A young lady. A very taking young lady. She called him uncle. But walked away in another direction as his cab started. The porter's eye was beginning to twinkle; […]

2. (obsolete) Infectious; contagious.
   • c. 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act II, Scene 4,

     All the stor’d vengeances of heaven fall

     On her ingrateful top! Strike her young bones,

     You taking airs, with lameness!

   • 1647, John Fletcher and Philip Massinger, The False One, Act IV, Scene 3,

     Come not near me,

     For I am yet too taking for your company.

taking (countable and uncountable, plural takings)

1. The act by which something is taken.
   • 2010, Ian Ayres, Optional Law: The Structure of Legal Entitlements, page 75:

     Second, they argue that giving the original owner a take-back option might lead to an infinite sequence of takings and retakings if the exercise price for the take-back option (i.e., the damages assessed at each round) is set too low.

2. (uncountable) A seizure of someone's goods or possessions.
3. (uncountable) A state of mental distress, resulting in excited or erratic behavior.
   • 1602, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act III, Scene III:

     What a taking was hee in, when your husband askt who was in the basket?

   • 1847, Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, vol. 2, ch. 16, p. 321:

     " […] at last, he proceeded from staring to touching; he put out his hand and stroked one curl, as gently as if it were a bird. He might have stuck a knife into her neck, she started round in such a taking.
     "'Get away, this moment! How dare you touch me? Why are you stopping there?' she cried, in a tone of disgust. […]

   • 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 102:

     'Poor soul - she was quite in a taking. You see, she'd opened the door to the next compartment by mistake.'

4. (countable) That which has been gained.

   Count the shop's takings.

5. (in the plural) The cash or money received (taken) by a shop or other business; receipts.

   Fred was concerned because the takings from his sweetshop had fallen again for the third week.

taking

1. present participle of take
   • 1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], OCLC 16832619, page 16:

     Athelstan Arundel walked home […], foaming and raging. […] He walked the whole way, walking through crowds, and under the noses of dray-horses, carriage-horses, and cart-horses, without taking the least notice of them.

• for the taking

• takings

taking

1. (Taal Batangas) boy

• itoy
• toto
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• tuto