Present participle of bestow; the act of giving, granting, or conferring something to someone.
From 'bestow' plus the gerund/present participle suffix '-ing' (from Old English). This form allows 'bestow' to function as a verb form expressing continuous action or as a noun.
The '-ing' ending is remarkable—it's used for both active verbs ('I am bestowing') and nouns ('Bestowing gifts is rewarding'), and this dual function makes it incredibly useful for expressing how actions relate to states or processes.
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