fitting meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

fitting

adj

UK /ˈfɪtɪŋ/ · US /ˈfɪtɪŋ/

Etymology From fit (“to conform to in shape or size; to be suitable for”, verb) + -ing (suffix forming present participles of verbs, and gerunds and nouns denoting the act of doing something or the embodiment of an action).

› That fits.

Chiefly preceded by a descriptive adverb or noun: that fits in some manner (often closely) to the shape or size of something.

close-fitting form-fitting ill-fitting
Certainly, in her well-fitting light-blue dress— […] she was a remarkable Cinderella.1866, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter VII, in Felix Holt, the Radical […], volume I, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, page 222:

Figuratively Appropriate, suitable, proper.

O my ſvveet ſir, nevves fitting to the night, / Blacke, fearefull, comfortleſſe, and horrible.c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene vi], page 21, column 2:
Though all your actions are noble, though your ſentiments ſpeak the purity of your ſoul, is it fitting that I ſhould accompany you alone into theſe perplexed retreats? ſhould vve be found together, vvhat vvould a cenſorious vvorld think of my conduct?1764 December 24 (indicated as 1765), Onuphrio Muralto, translated by William Marshal [pseudonyms; Horace Walpole], chapter III, in The Castle of Otranto, […], London: […] Tho[mas] Lownds […], →OCLC, page 122:

4 more examples

Cast with him here in this forlorn estate, / In all things for the man she was a fitting mate.1825, Robert Southey, “Canto I”, in A Tale of Paraguay, London: […] [A[ndrew] & R[obert] Spottiswoode] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, […], →OCLC, stanza 26, page 32:
The last regular steam-hauled passenger train between Glasgow and Helensburgh Central was given a fitting send-off from Queen Street Low Level at 11.2 p.m. on Friday, November 4.1960 December, “The Glasgow Suburban Electrification is Opened”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 712:
It was a fitting scoreline on the club's landmark anniversary, and appropriate that [Robin] Van Persie should get the winner.2011 December 10, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 1 – 0 Everton”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 01 May 2023:
And really, Michael Jackson is a more fitting aspiration for the similarly sexless would-be-former teen heartthrob, who’s compared himself to the late King Of Pop (perhaps a bit prematurely) on several occasions and sings in a Jackson-like croon over a sample of “We’ve Got A Good Thing Going” on Believe’s “Die In Your Arms.”2012 June 26, Genevieve Koski, “Music: Reviews: Justin Bieber: Believe”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 06 Aug 2020:

Derived terms: close-fitting, fittingly, fittingness, form-fitting, ill-fitting, loose-fitting, self-fitting, tight-fitting, unfitting

fitting

noun

Gerund gerund of fit: an act of making something fit (“conform in shape and size; be suitable for; etc.”).

curve fitting
As soon as we received our orders to proceed to Spithead, Mr. Somerville, who had kept his house at Blackheath while the ship was fitting, in hopes that my promotion might have taken place before she was ready, now prepared to quit the place.1829, [Frederick Marryat], chapter IV, in The Naval Officer; or, Scenes and Adventures in the Life of Frank Mildmay. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 96:

1 more example

[T]he fitting of cushions where they would not slip, the rounding of corners for more delicate repose; […] the perfect fitting of windows, on which one-half the comfort of a travelling carriage really depends; […] —all this was an imaginary journey in itself, with every pleasure, and none of the discomfort, of practical travelling.1886, John Ruskin, “Schaffhausen and Milan”, in Præterita. Outlines of Scenes and Thoughts Perhaps Worthy of Memory in My Past Life, volume I, Orpington, Kent: George Allen, →OCLC, page 179:

Business, Clothing, Fashion, Lifestyle, Manufacturing, Textiles An act of trying on an item of clothing to adjust or inspect how well it fits.

Business, Engineering, Manufacturing, Mechanical, Mechanical engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences A (generally small) component or part of a device or machine, especially one that is standardized and replaceable; specifically, a standardized part of a piping system used to connect sections of pipe together, such as a coupling.

Business, Engineering, Manufacturing, Mechanical, Mechanical engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences The process of fitting up; especially, of applying skilled methods to the installation of components to machines or other products.

UK, In plural, Often A removable item (such as a carpet, a movable piece of furniture, or a picture) in a house or other building, which can be taken with one when moving out.

the fittings of a church or study

Derived terms: banjo fitting, fitting-out, fitting room, formfitting, gasfitting, grease fitting, gunfitting, photofitting, pipefitting, shipfitting, shopfitting, steamfitting