participle

noun

par·​ti·​ci·​ple ˈpär-tə-ˌsi-pəl 

 Britain also  pär-ˈti-si-pəl,

pər-,

pə-

: a word having the characteristics of both verb and adjective

especially : an English verbal form that has the function of an adjective and at the same time shows such verbal features as tense and voice and capacity to take an object

In "the finished product," the word "finished" is a participle formed from the verb "finish."

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Grammar and Participle

English verbs can take several basic forms, which we call their principal parts: the infinitive (move, speak, etc.), the past tense (moved, spoke), the past participle (moved, spoken), and the present participle (moving, speaking). The participles are words that "take part" in two different word classes: that is, they are verb forms that can also act like adjectives ("the spoken word," "a moving experience"). A grammatical error called a dangling participle occurs when a clause begins with a participle that doesn't modify the subject; in the sentence "Climbing the mountain, the cabin came in view," for example, climbing is a dangling participle since it doesn't modify cabin. When we revise the sentence to "Climbing the mountain, the hikers spied a cabin," the participle climbing modifies the subject hikers and is therefore no longer dangling.

Examples of participle in a Sentence

In the phrases “the finishing touches” and “the finished product,” “finishing” and “finished” are participles formed from the verb “finish.”

Recent Examples on the Web

Centering a scene in a studio comedy around a man’s dangling participle can be both an act of sincerity and a punchline, though, and O’Brien and Segel’s exchange gets at what makes Forgetting Sarah Marshall such an enduring piece of work. —Andy Crump, Men's Health, 21 Apr. 2023

And undangle your participle, etceterer. —Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Dec. 2021

Some scholars believe violence and vehemence may share a common Latin origin, a lost participle of the verb vehere, to carry. —Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2016

Vin Scully was baseball’s Sinatra, a man who sang the song of the game with great timing and phrasing, without blowing a lyric, or dangling a participle. —Nick Canepacolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2022

To compound matters, Ball’s prose is relentlessly truncated: short declarative sentences that leave the reader longing for a subordinate clause, a compound sentence, or even a dangling participle. —David Holahan, USA TODAY, 2 Aug. 2020

One explanation is that, like the dangling participle, the split infinitive has a catchy name, making the rule easy to pass on. —The Economist, 26 Apr. 2018

Got that?** A common hyphenated compound follows the pattern adjective-noun noun or adjective-participle noun. —John E. McIntyre, baltimoresun.com, 27 Aug. 2017

The word traces back to the Middle English and Old French for ‘‘exit,’’ and before that to the feminine past participle (issir) of the Latin exire, meaning to ‘‘go out’’ or ‘ —Carina Chocano, New York Times, 18 July 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, modification of Latin participium, from particip-, particeps

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing participle

• past participle
• perfect participle
• present participle

Kids Definition

participle

noun

par·​ti·​ci·​ple ˈpärt-ə-ˌsip-əl 

: a word that functions like an adjective and also shows such features of a verb as tense and voice and the ability to take an object