gerundien

Gerundien is a term used in some linguistic contexts, particularly in older or less common grammatical analyses, to refer to the present participle form of a verb when it functions as a noun. This is distinct from the more widely accepted English grammatical concept of the gerund, which is the "-ing" form of a verb used as a noun. The distinction between the gerund and the present participle in English grammar is a subject of ongoing discussion and varies depending on the grammatical tradition.

In traditional grammar, a gerund is an "-ing" word that acts as a noun, such as in the sentence "Swimming is good exercise." Here, "swimming" is the subject of the sentence, a noun function. A present participle, on the other hand, is an "-ing" word that acts as an adjective or part of a continuous verb tense, as in "The swimming fish were beautiful" or "He is swimming."

The term "gerundien" appears to be an attempt to differentiate between these functions, perhaps in languages where the morphological distinction is clearer or where a specific grammatical framework emphasizes this division. However, in modern English grammar, the term "gerund" is generally used for the noun form, and "present participle" for the adjectival and continuous tense forms, even though they share the same "-ing" suffix. The use of "gerundien" is not widespread and is likely encountered in specialized or historical linguistic literature.