Search

noun
1.
the act or work of a person or thing that packs.
2.
the preparation and packaging of foodstuffs, especially to be sold at wholesale.
3.
the way in which something is packed.
4.
an act or instance of transporting supplies, goods, etc., on the backs of horses, mules, or persons.
5.
material used to cushion or protect goods packed in a container.
6.
material, often in the form of a grease-impregnated fibrous ring, compressed inside a stuffing box or the like to prevent leakage around the moving shaft of an engine, pump, or valve.
7.
Printing. rubber, paper, or other material fastened to the tympan or cylinder of a press to provide pressure to produce a printed impression.
noun
1.

material used to cushion packed goods
(as modifier): a packing needle

2.
the packaging of foodstuffs
3.
(med)

the application of a medical pack
gauze or other absorbent material for packing a wound

4.
(printing) sheets of material, esp paper, used to cover the platen or impression cylinder of a letterpress machine
5.
any substance or material used to make watertight or gastight joints, esp in a stuffing box
6.
(engineering) pieces of material of various thicknesses used to adjust the position of a component or machine before it is secured in its correct position or alignment
adjective

carrying a gun, often concealed
Examples

The off-duty policeman was packing.
Word Origin

gerundive form, by ellipsis from “to pack heat”

packing n.

The insertion of gauze or other material into a body cavity or wound for therapeutic purposes.

The material so used; a pack.

packing

modifier

Armed, esp with a pistol; carrying: The policeman was packed before he raided the building (packed 1980s+ Teenagers, packing 1990s+)