leaving
noun
Leaving — the warm, everyday word for the act of going away
Definition
The act of departing
In depth
Leaving names the act of departing, the most commonly used and emotionally accessible of the words for going away, equally natural in casual conversation and intimate, reflective prose. The word carries an inherent sense of relationship, since one always leaves something or someone behind, however briefly.
Origin
The word descends from Old English laefan, to leave behind or bequeath, related distantly to the word 'life' through an ancient root concerned with what remains or persists. That buried connection is suggestive: to leave something is, etymologically, bound up with what is left, the residue or legacy that remains behind once departure has occurred.
Usage examples
"Leaving had never been easy for her, even when staying was clearly the worse choice."
"There was no good way of leaving, he realized, only better and worse ways of being missed."
"Their leaving of the old neighborhood marked the end of an era none of them had been ready to close."
How to use it
Leaving is the most natural, versatile choice across nearly every register, particularly powerful in emotionally intimate writing where the relational weight of departure — what or whom is being left behind — matters as much as the act of going itself.
Related concepts
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