The act of covering something with a messy, greasy substance; the present participle of besmear.
From besmear plus the present participle suffix -ing (Old English -ende, later contracted to -ing). This is the continuous form that describes an action in progress.
The -ing form is one of English's most versatile suffixes—it works as a verb form, a noun (gerund), and an adjective. 'Besmearing' can mean the action itself, or describe something that is besmearing-like, showing how one suffix can juggle multiple grammatical roles.
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