ticking
noun
[ ˈtɪkɪŋ ]
• a strong, durable material, typically striped, used to cover mattresses.
Origin:
mid 17th century: from tick3 + -ing1.
tick
verb
• mark (an item) with a tick or select (a box) on a form, questionnaire, etc. to indicate that something has been chosen, checked, approved, or dealt with.
• "just tick the appropriate box below"
• (of a clock or other mechanical device) make regular short, sharp sounds, typically one for every second of time that passes.
• "I could hear the clock ticking"
Origin:
Middle English (as a verb in the sense ‘pat, touch’): probably of Germanic origin and related to Dutch tik (noun), tikken (verb) ‘pat, touch’. The noun was recorded in late Middle English as ‘a light tap’; current senses date from the late 17th century.
