GERUND, in grammar, a verbal noun of the neuter gender, partaking of the nature of a participle, declinable only in the singular number, through all the cases except the vocative; as nom. amandum, gen. amandi, dat. amando, accus. amandum, abl. amando. The word is formed of the Latin gerundivus, and that from the verb gerere, "to bear."
The gerund expresses not only the time, but also the manner, of an action; as, "he fell in running post."—It differs from the participle, in that it expresses the time, which the participle does not; and from the tense properly so called, in that it expresses the manner, which the tense does not.
Grammarians are much embarrassed to settle the nature and character of the gerunds. It is certain they are not verbs, nor distinct moods of verbs, in regard they do not mark any judgment, or affirmation of the mind, which is the essence of a verb. And, beside, they have cases; which verbs have not. Some, therefore, will have them to be adjectives passive, whose substantive is the infinitive of the verb: on this footing they denominate them verbal nouns, or names formed of verbs, and retaining the ordinary regimen thereof. Thus, say they, tempus est legendi libros, or librorum, is as much as to say, tempus est te legere libros, vel librorum. But others stand up against this decision.