What does stiffing mean?
Stiffing is the present participle of the verb stiff, used when describing the process of becoming rigid or difficult to bend. In this use, it commonly follows a form of the verb “be,” as in “the paste is stiffening as it cools.” The word can also refer to making a material rigid, especially in manufacturing or craft processes. Its connotation is primarily physical: rigidity, resistance to bending, or a loss of flexibility. Although “stiffening” is more idiomatic in most modern prose, “stiffing” is a normal inflection of the verb and occurs naturally in participial constructions. As a vocabulary form, it is useful chiefly because it illustrates how English verbs form the present participle with the ending “-ing,” while also distinguishing this less familiar form from the more frequently used derivative stiffen.
verb (present participle)The present participle of stiff: making something rigid or difficult to bend, or becoming rigid.
- To make or become rigid or difficult to bend.
"The paste is stiffing as it cools."
"The glue is stiffing as it cools."
"Heat stiffens the plastic before it is shaped."
Stiffing is the present participle of stiff, but stiffening is the form most people naturally use.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does stiffing come from?
The word descends from Old English stiff, meaning rigid, unbending, or difficult to move. Its present-participle form has followed the regular English inflection system for centuries. The derivative stiffen became established as a separate verb, while stiffly and stiffness developed from the same inherited base.
Related word forms
How stiffing is actually used
“Stiffing” is a regular inflection and is less common in ordinary speech than “stiffening.” It is standard in constructions such as “the mixture is stiffening.”