'flooring' originates from English, formed by the noun 'floor' + the suffix '-ing', where 'floor' meant 'a ground or base surface'.

'floor' comes from Old English (flōr) and passed into Middle English as 'floor'; the modern noun 'flooring' developed by adding the gerund/agentive suffix '-ing' to denote material or the act related to a floor.

Initially, 'floor' primarily meant 'the ground or base surface'; over time the derived form 'flooring' came to mean specifically the material used to cover that surface or the process of laying such material.