ˈpakiŋ, -kēŋ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English pakking, from gerund of pakken to pack — more at pack
1.
a. : the act or process of preparing goods for shipment or storage
planned the trip and had the car serviced but left the packing to his wife
packing … begins when these slabs of curd can be sliced into blocks — L.L.Van Slyke & W.V.Price
specifically : the wholesale processing of food for market
the first American to give his whole time to the business of packing — Story of Meat
b. : a method of inserting into a shipping container with appropriate protective covering, cushioning, or bracing
typical compression packing : twelve one-quart bottles … each wrapped in cushioning material and separated by dividers within the shipping box — Export Packing
c. : the act or process of transporting or being transported on the backs of men or animals
the camp is inaccessible by road and packing is the only way to bring in supplies
d. : the therapeutic application of a pack
hemorrhage … could not be controlled by suture or packing — Journal American Medical Association
e. : an act or instance of assembling in a compact group or mass
packing of runners in a race
2.
a. : a covering, stuffing, or holding apparatus used to protect, cushion, or brace goods packed for shipment or storage
excelsior, paper wadding, partitions, chipboard boxes or other types of suitable interior packing — Export Packing
b.
(1) : a thin layer or ring of elastic material (as paper, rubber, asbestos, copper) inserted between the surfaces of a flange joint to make it impervious to leakage — compare gasket
(2) : the material in a stuffing box which prevents leakage
(3) : a flexible ring surrounding a piston to maintain a tight fit (as inside a cylinder)
(4) : material (as felt, wool, or rope) placed in the sawway of a circular saw to prevent vibration — compare hydraulic packing , steam packing
(5) : caulking
c. : a masonry filling (as mortar containing small stones)
d. : the material used beneath the drawsheet of a printing press
e.
(1) : longitudinal timbers between the hull of a ship and the sliding ways of a launching cradle
(2) : a liner between the frame and a raised strake of plating on a ship to make it watertight
f. : the arrangement of several structural members (as I bars or struts) on a single pin forming a truss joint
g. : the filling of a fractionating column consisting usually of loose pieces of solid material (as glass beads or Raschig rings)