Learn English – the nominal form of the verb “to give”

derivationderivational-morphologymorphologynominalizationsverbs

Normally one can add -tion or -ation to a verb to make it nominal, but that nominalization doesn't work for "give". Is there a nominalized form of "to give"? If not, is there a word that could serve the same purpose?

In other words, what word means "the act of giving"?

Best Answer

Perhaps the related gifting might be preferred, but that has another more usual sense.

You're right; there does seem a lack of an ideal noun here.

'Donation' (sense (1) below) works (as Janus suggests it might):

donation

noun

  1. an act or instance of presenting something as a gift, grant, or contribution.

  2. a gift, as to a fund; contribution.

{Dictionary.reference.com}, but again, the normal sense (2) is what people would expect (I don't know why it's listed second here).

But note that AHDEL, for instance, does not seem to include the 'one-off action' sense:

  1. The act [I assume practice] of giving to a fund or cause.

  2. A gift or grant.