fixing

[ fik-sing ]
/ ˈfɪk sɪŋ /

noun

the act of a person or thing that fixes.
fixings. Also fix·in's [fik-sinz] /ˈfɪk sɪnz/. Informal.
  1. the necessary ingredients: salad fixings.
  2. the appropriate accompaniments; trimmings: turkey with all the fixings.

Origin of fixing

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at fix, -ing1

Definition for fixing (2 of 2)

Origin of fix

1350–1400; 1900–05 for def 29; 1935–40 for def 31; Middle English fixen (v.) < Medieval Latin fixāre, derivative of Latin fixus fixed, past participle of fīgere to fasten

SYNONYMS FOR fix

3, 4 fasten, secure, stabilize. Fix, establish imply making firm or permanent. To fix is to fasten in position securely or to make more or less permanent against change, especially something already existing: to fix a bayonet on a gun; fix a principle in one's mind. To establish is to make firm or permanent something (usually newly) originated, created, or ordained: to establish a business, a claim to property.
5 establish, define.
27 dilemma, plight, quandary.

usage note for fix

Fix meaning “to repair” appears to have been used first in America, but it is long established and has been used in England since the early 19th century: The engineer quickly fixed the faulty valve. The verb use is fully standard in all varieties of speech and writing, and objections to it on the grounds of style merely reflect personal prejudice, not the practice of educated speakers and writers. The noun fix meaning “repair, adjustment” is informal.
Fix ( to ) meaning “to prepare, plan (to)” is another Americanism: We're fixing to go to town. It once occurred in all the eastern coastal states, but it is now chiefly an informal spoken form in the South Midland and South.

OTHER WORDS FROM fix

Example sentences from the Web for fixing

British Dictionary definitions for fixing (1 of 2)

fixing
/ (ˈfɪksɪŋ) /

noun

a means of attaching one thing to another, as a pipe to a wall, slate to a roof, etc

British Dictionary definitions for fixing (2 of 2)

fix
/ (fɪks) /

verb (mainly tr)

noun

See also fix up

Derived forms of fix

fixable, adjective

Word Origin for fix

C15: from Medieval Latin fixāre, from Latin fixus fixed, from Latin fīgere

Scientific definitions for fixing

fix
[ fĭks ]

To convert inorganic carbon or nitrogen into stable, organic compounds that can be assimilated into organisms. Photosynthetic organisms such as green plants fix carbon in carbohydrates as food; certain bacteria fix nitrogen as ammonia that can be absorbed directly or through nitrification by plant roots. See more at carbon fixation nitrogen fixation.
To convert a substance, especially a gas, into solid or liquid form by chemical reactions.
To kill and preserve a tissue specimen rapidly to retain as nearly as possible the characteristics it had in the living body.

Idioms and Phrases with fixing

fix