happening

See also: Happening

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada, General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈhæpɪnɪŋ/, /ˈhæpənɪŋ/, [ˈhæpnɪŋ], [ˈhæpnɪn]

  • Audio (California):

    (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle English *happenynge, *happnynge. By surface analysis, happen +‎ -ing.

Verb

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.

Adjective

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.

Translations

of a place: busy, lively

Finnish: tapahtuva (fi)

of a person: trendy, up-to-the-minute

Finnish: muodikas (fi), trendikäs (fi) Japanese: おしゃれ (ja) (oshare)

Etymology 2

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

Noun

happening (plural happenings)

1. Something that happens.

   Synonyms: event, incident; see also Thesaurus:occurrence

   • 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

Derived terms

• Fappening
• happenstance
• nonhappening

Descendants

• → Japanese: ハプニング (hapuningu)
• → Korean: 해프닝 (haepeuning)

Translations

something that happens

Bulgarian: събитие (bg) n (sǎbitie), случка (bg) f (slučka) Finnish: tapahtuma (fi) Greek: γεγονός (el) n (gegonós), συμβάν (el) n (symván) Latvian: notikums m Lithuanian: įvykis (lt) m, atsitikimas m Plautdietsch: Väafaul m Polish: zdarzenie (pl) n Portuguese: acontecimento (pt) m Romanian: întâmplare (ro) f Scottish Gaelic: tuiteamas m Slovene: dogodek (sl) m Swedish: händelse (sv), skeende (sv) n Tocharian B: wäntare

a spontaneous or improvised event, especially one that involves audience participation

Finnish: improvisoitu esitys French: happening (fr) German: Happening (de) n Polish: happening (pl) m Scottish Gaelic: tuiteamas m

Further reading

• happening on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Finnish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English happening

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhæpeniŋ/, [ˈhæpe̞niŋ]
• Rhymes: -æpeniŋ

Noun

happening (informal)

1. happening (event)

Declension

Inflection of happening (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		happening	happeningit
genitive		happeningin	happeningien
partitive		happeningia	happeningeja
illative		happeningiin	happeningeihin
		singular	plural
nominative		happening	happeningit
accusative	nom.	happening	happeningit
	gen.	happeningin
genitive		happeningin	happeningien
partitive		happeningia	happeningeja
inessive		happeningissa	happeningeissa
elative		happeningista	happeningeista
illative		happeningiin	happeningeihin
adessive		happeningilla	happeningeilla
ablative		happeningilta	happeningeilta
allative		happeningille	happeningeille
essive		happeningina	happeningeina
translative		happeningiksi	happeningeiksi
abessive		happeningitta	happeningeitta
instructive		—	happeningein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of happening (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative happeningini happeningini accusative nom. happeningini happeningini gen. happeningini genitive happeningini happeningieni partitive happeningiani happeningejani inessive happeningissani happeningeissani elative happeningistani happeningeistani illative happeningiini happeningeihini adessive happeningillani happeningeillani ablative happeningiltani happeningeiltani allative happeningilleni happeningeilleni essive happeninginani happeningeinani translative happeningikseni happeningeikseni abessive happeningittani happeningeittani instructive — — comitative — happeningeineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative happeningisi happeningisi accusative nom. happeningisi happeningisi gen. happeningisi genitive happeningisi happeningiesi partitive happeningiasi happeningejasi inessive happeningissasi happeningeissasi elative happeningistasi happeningeistasi illative happeningiisi happeningeihisi adessive happeningillasi happeningeillasi ablative happeningiltasi happeningeiltasi allative happeningillesi happeningeillesi essive happeninginasi happeningeinasi translative happeningiksesi happeningeiksesi abessive happeningittasi happeningeittasi instructive — — comitative — happeningeinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative happeningimme happeningimme accusative nom. happeningimme happeningimme gen. happeningimme genitive happeningimme happeningiemme partitive happeningiamme happeningejamme inessive happeningissamme happeningeissamme elative happeningistamme happeningeistamme illative happeningiimme happeningeihimme adessive happeningillamme happeningeillamme ablative happeningiltamme happeningeiltamme allative happeningillemme happeningeillemme essive happeninginamme happeningeinamme translative happeningiksemme happeningeiksemme abessive happeningittamme happeningeittamme instructive — — comitative — happeningeinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative happeninginne happeninginne accusative nom. happeninginne happeninginne gen. happeninginne genitive happeninginne happeningienne partitive happeningianne happeningejanne inessive happeningissanne happeningeissanne elative happeningistanne happeningeistanne illative happeningiinne happeningeihinne adessive happeningillanne happeningeillanne ablative happeningiltanne happeningeiltanne allative happeningillenne happeningeillenne essive happeninginanne happeningeinanne translative happeningiksenne happeningeiksenne abessive happeningittanne happeningeittanne instructive — — comitative — happeningeinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative happeninginsa happeninginsa accusative nom. happeninginsa happeninginsa gen. happeninginsa genitive happeninginsa happeningiensa partitive happeningiaan happeningiansa happeningejaan happeningejansa inessive happeningissaan happeningissansa happeningeissaan happeningeissansa elative happeningistaan happeningistansa happeningeistaan happeningeistansa illative happeningiinsa happeningeihinsa adessive happeningillaan happeningillansa happeningeillaan happeningeillansa ablative happeningiltaan happeningiltansa happeningeiltaan happeningeiltansa allative happeningilleen happeningillensa happeningeilleen happeningeillensa essive happeninginaan happeninginansa happeningeinaan happeningeinansa translative happeningikseen happeningiksensa happeningeikseen happeningeiksensa abessive happeningittaan happeningittansa happeningeittaan happeningeittansa instructive — — comitative — happeningeineen happeningeinensa

Related terms

• häppeninki

Further reading

• “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 2 July 2023

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ap.niŋ/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Noun

happening m (plural happenings)

1. happening

Further reading

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

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

happening

Wikipedia ^pl

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxɛ.pɛ.ɲiŋk/

• Audio:

  (file)

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

Noun

happening m inan

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

Declension

Declension of happening

	singular	plural
nominative	happening	happeningi
genitive	happeningu	happeningów
dative	happeningowi	happeningom
accusative	happening	happeningi
instrumental	happeningiem	happeningami
locative	happeningu	happeningach
vocative	happeningu	happeningi

Derived terms

adjective

• happeningowy

Related terms

nouns

• happener
• happenerka

Further reading

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

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English happening.

Noun

happening n (plural happeninguri)

1. happening (spontaneous or improvised event)

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	happening	happeningul		happeninguri	happeningurile
genitive-dative	happening	happeningului		happeninguri	happeningurilor
vocative	happeningule			happeningurilor

References

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

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxapenin/ [ˈxa.pe.nĩn]
• Rhymes: -apenin
• Syllabification: hap‧pe‧ning

Noun

happening m (plural happenings)

1. happening