Dovening

/ˈdʌvənɪŋ/ verb

Definition

Present participle of doven; behaving like a dove or cooing softly.

Etymology

From 'doven' plus the present participle suffix '-ing,' which creates the 'ing' form of verbs used in progressive tenses and as gerunds.

Kelly Says

Using '-ing' forms of archaic verbs lets writers be super poetic—'she was dovening her love' sounds way more lyrical than 'she was cooing softly,' which is probably why poets kept using these old forms.

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