What does ealing mean?
Ealing is a district and London borough situated in west London, England. Historically a Middlesex village that grew rapidly with the arrival of the railways in the nineteenth century, it became part of Greater London in 1965 when the modern borough was created. The name is best known internationally through Ealing Studios, founded on Ealing Green in 1902 and often described as the oldest continuously working film studio in the world; its post-war output — the so-called Ealing comedies such as Passport to Pimlico and The Ladykillers — helped define a wry, understated strain of British cinema. Today Ealing is a diverse residential suburb with good transport links into central London, and the word itself remains a proper noun: it names a place rather than serving any general lexical function.
proper nounA town and London borough in west London, England, known historically for its film studios. As a common word, 'ealing' is not an established English dictionary headword.
- A town and metropolitan borough in west London, England.
"She took the Tube out to Ealing for the film festival at the old studios."
"Ealing was absorbed into Greater London in 1965."
"The classic Ealing comedies of the late 1940s include Kind Hearts and Coronets and The Ladykillers."
Ealing gave its name to 'Ealing comedies' — the beloved post-war British films made at what is often called the oldest continuously working film studio in the world.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ealing
The place name Ealing derives from Old English, recorded in early charters as 'Gillingas' or similar forms meaning '(settlement of) the followers or people of a man named Gilla' — a typical Anglo-Saxon territorial formation using the '-ingas' suffix. The spelling evolved through medieval forms before settling as Ealing. Because it is a toponym, it shares no productive root with other English words, though the same Old English patronymic pattern underlies countless English place names ending in -ing.
How ealing is actually used
'Ealing' functions almost exclusively as a proper noun naming a place; it should be capitalized and has no figurative or general-noun use in standard English.
Easily confused with ealing
'Ealing' with a capital E refers to the London place name, whereas it may be mistaken in lowercase text for a typo of the verb form 'healing' or 'pealing'.