different between happening vs situation

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?hæp?n??/, /?hæpn??/, [hæpn?n]

Etymology 1

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

Verb

happening

1. present participle of happen

Adjective

happening (comparative more happening, superlative most happening)

1. (slang, of a place) Busy, lively; vibrant, dynamic; fashionable.

   This is a happening place tonight!

   • 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.

   He is a real happening guy.

   • 1987 November 16, Steve Gibson, Desktop Publishing, 386-Based Machines, ‘Happening’ Trends at Comdex, 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

Etymology 2

From Middle English happenyng, equivalent to happen +? -ing.

Noun

happening (plural happenings)

1. Something that happens.
2. A spontaneous or improvised event, especially one that involves audience participation.

Translations

See also

• happening on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Finnish

Noun

happening

1. happening (event)

Declension

Related terms

• häppeninki

French

Noun

happening m (plural happenings)

1. happening

Spanish

Noun

happening m (plural happenings)

1. happening

English

Alternative forms

• scituation (hyper?correct, obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English situacioun, situacion, from Middle French situation, from Medieval Latin situatio (“position, situation”), from situare (“to locate, place”), from Latin situs (“a site”). Equivalent to situate +? -ion

Pronunciation

• enPR: s?t-yo?o-?'sh?n, s?ch-o?o-?'sh?n, IPA^(key): /s?tju??e???n/, /s?t?u?(w)e???n/
• Rhymes: -e???n

Noun

situation (plural situations)

1. The combination of circumstances at a given moment; a state of affairs.
2. The way in which something is positioned vis-à-vis its surroundings.
   • 1908, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows:

     ...he being naturally an underground animal by birth and breeding, the situation of Badger's house exactly suited him and made him feel at home; while the Rat, who slept every night in a bedroom the windows of which opened on a breezy river, naturally felt the atmosphere still and oppressive.

3. The place in which something is situated; a location.
   • 1833, Thomas Hibbert and Robert Buist, The American Flower Garden Directory, page 142:

     [Hibíscus] speciòsus is the most splendid, and deserves a situation in every garden.

4. Position or status with regard to conditions and circumstances.
5. (Britain) A position of employment; a post.
   • 1913, D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, Penguin 2006, page 78:

     When he was nineteen, he suddenly left the 'Co-op' office, and got a situation in Nottingham.

   • 1946, Vaughn Horton, Denver Darling, Milt Gabler, Choo Choo Ch'Boogie:

     You take a morning paper from the top of the stack

     And read the situations from the front to the back

     The only job that's open need a man with a knack

     So put it right back in the rack Jack.

6. A difficult or unpleasant set of circumstances; a problem.

   Boss, we've got a situation here...

Synonyms

• (combination of circumstances): condition, set up; see also Thesaurus:state

Related terms

• site
• situate
• situated
• situationism

Translations

See also

• situation comedy, sitcom

References

• Source for the definitions:
  • Dictionary.com. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. [1] (accessed: March 10, 2007).
• situation in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• situation in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• situation at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• titanious

French

Etymology

situer +? -ation

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /si.t?a.sj??/

Noun

situation f (plural situations)

1. situation (all meanings)

Derived terms

• mise en situation
• situation intéressante

Descendants

• ? Romanian: situa?ie

Further reading

• “situation” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Interlingua

Noun

situation (plural situationes)

1. situation, state of affairs

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s?tva??u?n/, /s?t?a??u?n/

Noun

situation c

1. a situation

Declension

Synonyms

• läge

Related terms

• nödsituation
• situationskomik