happening

• IPA^(key): /ˈhæpənɪŋ/, /ˈhæpɪnɪŋ/, /ˈhæpnɪŋ/, [hæpnɪn]

• Audio (US)

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From Middle English *happenynge, *happnynge, equivalent to happen +‎ -ing.

happening

1. present participle and gerund of happen
   • 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:

     From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. […]   But viewed from high up in one of the growing number of skyscrapers in Sri Lanka’s capital, it is clear that something extraordinary is happening: China is creating a shipping hub just 200 miles from India’s southern tip.

happening (comparative more happening, superlative most happening)

1. (slang, of a place) Busy, lively; vibrant, dynamic; fashionable.
   • 2005, Wendy Lawton, Less is More, page 13:

     “ […] San Francisco is not exactly the most happening place, you know.”

   • 2006, Eliot Greenspan, Neil E. Schlecht, Frommer's Cuba, page 165:

     When the show ends, the circular, sunken floor is one of the more happening dance clubs in town.

   • 2011, Bob Sehlinger, Menasha Ridge, Len Testa, The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2012, page 157:

     They're a little noisy if you open your balcony door but otherwise offer a glimpse of one of Disney World's more happening places.

2. (slang, of a person or product) Trendy, up-to-the-minute.
   • 1987 November 16, Steve Gibson, “Desktop Publishing, 386-Based Machines, ‘Happening’ Trends at Comdex”, in InfoWorld, page 42:

     Every show has its hottest, most happening trends. If I were to isolate just one for hardware and one for software, this year's hot hardware would be the 386 machines, and the happening software would be desktop publishing.

   • 2009, Nicola Williams, Oliver Berry, Steve Fallon, France, Lonely Planet, page 883:

     Going strong since 2006, this ephemeral nightclub (it's open only for 50 nights each year, in July and August) has become the hottest ticket in DJ land, a combination of the most happening names in music and its spectacular setting at the heart of the Palais des Festivals.

   • 2011, Nicholas Gill, Christie Pashby, Kristina Schreck, Frommer's Chile & Easter Island, unnumbered page:

     San Antonio is the newest, tiniest, and most “happening” wine appellation in Chile, with just four boutique wineries that focus on quality, not quantity, producing fine pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, and syrah.

From Middle English happenyng, equivalent to happen +‎ -ing. As term used in performance art popularized by Allan Kaprow.

happening (plural happenings)

1. Something that happens.
   • 1990, Wayne Jancik, The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, →ISBN, page 271:

     Three follow-up singles, all ecological or religious in theme, did chart in the lower reaches of the Hot 100. Thereafter, Ocean remained a Canadian happening.

2. (originally art) A spontaneous or improvised event, especially one that involves audience participation.
   • 1989, “Salvador Dali's Garden Party”, in Privilege, performed by Television Personalities:

     And it was some kind of happening / Some kind of happening / Salvador Dali's garden party

• happening on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Unadapted borrowing from English happening

• IPA^(key): /ˈhæpeniŋ/, [ˈhæpe̞niŋ]

happening (informal)

1. happening (event)

• häppeninki

• “happening”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

• IPA^(key): /ap.niŋ/

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happening m (plural happenings)

1. happening

• “happening”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Unadapted borrowing from English happening, from Middle English *happenynge, *happnynge.

• IPA^(key): /ˈxɛ.pɛ.ɲiŋk/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛɲiŋk
• Syllabification: ha‧ppe‧ning

happening m inan

1. happening (spontaneous or improvised event, especially one that involves audience participation)

• happening in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• happening in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Unadapted borrowing from English happening.

happening n (plural happeninguri)

1. happening (spontaneous or improvised event)

• happening in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN

happening m (plural happenings)

1. happening