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Containing

Containing is the present participle of the verb contain and also serves as a gerund in English. It denotes that something holds inside or includes something else. In everyday usage, it appears in participial clauses to describe a state or to modify a noun: for example, “The box containing strawberries was on the table.” It can also introduce a description of contents, as in “a list containing several errors.” As a gerund, containing can function as a noun, such as in “The containing of the package is secure.”

Semantically, contain and containing distinguish the action from its result. Contain emphasizes holding within boundaries, enclosure,

The word’s etymology traces to Latin continere, meaning to hold together or enclose. It passed into Old

Usage tips:

- Use contain in the main verb position: “The box contains water.”

- Use containing to introduce or modify: “a product containing vitamins,” “the document containing the contract.”

- In formal writing, prefer precise phrases like “a box containing X” rather than awkward constructions such

See also: containment, container, enclosure, include, include list.

or
restraint,
while
containing
describes
the
presence
of
elements
inside
an
outer
boundary.
The
form
is
often
preferred
in
technical
or
descriptive
writing
to
specify
what
a
thing
includes
without
enumerating
every
item.
French
as
contenir
before
entering
English.
Related
terms
include
container
(the
object
that
contains),
containment
(the
state
of
being
contained),
and
include
(to
have
as
part
of
a
whole).
as
“the
box
containingly.”