'ongoing' originates from Old English elements, specifically the words 'on' and 'gān', where 'on' meant 'on'/'upon' and 'gān' meant 'to go'.

'gān' changed into the Middle English verb 'go', and the compound sense 'on-going' (literally 'going on') was used in later Middle English and Early Modern English, eventually becoming the modern adjective 'ongoing'.

Initially it conveyed the idea of 'moving on' or 'going on', but over time it evolved to mean 'continuing' or 'still in progress'.