meaning-making
|mean-ing-mak-ing|
/ˈmiːnɪŋˌmeɪkɪŋ/
creating or interpreting meaning
Etymology
'meaning-making' originates from English, specifically the words 'meaning' and 'making'. 'meaning' ultimately comes from Old English 'mænan', where it meant 'to intend or signify'; 'making' comes from Old English 'macian' (noun forms like 'macung'), where it meant 'to make' or 'to produce'.
'meaning' changed from Old English 'mænan' to Middle English forms such as 'menen'/'mening' and eventually became the modern English word 'meaning'. 'making' changed from Old English 'macian' through Middle English 'maken'/'making' to the modern English 'making'. The compound 'meaning-making' is a modern English formation combining these elements to name the process of producing meaning.
Initially, 'meaning' referred to intending or signifying and 'making' to producing or creating; combined, the compound originally described the act of producing meaning and has retained that core sense while expanding in modern use to cover psychological, cultural, educational, and communicative processes of interpretation.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process by which individuals or groups create, interpret, or assign significance to events, experiences, symbols, or texts (the act or activity of constructing meaning).
Meaning-making is central to how people cope with loss and change.
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Adjective 1
serving to create or facilitate the creation of meaning; relating to processes that produce interpretation or significance.
A meaning-making activity helped students connect new information to their own experiences.
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Last updated: 2026/01/08 13:49