Bing
/bɪŋ/noun
A heap of waste rock or other spoil, especially from a coal mine, in northern British usage.
Did you know?In Scotland and northern England, a bing is not a magical portal but a stark monument to industrial extraction: a man-made mountain of mining spoil.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic period
Germanic
*bingō
“A reconstructed Germanic form associated with a heap or storage place; the precise ancestry is uncertain.”
Old Norse
Old Norse
bingr
“A heap, pile, or enclosed storage place; commonly regarded as the source of the northern English term.”
Middle English
Middle English
bing
“A bin, heap, or pile, reflecting Scandinavian influence in northern England.”
19th Century
Scots/English
bing
“A heap of coal-mining waste or spoil.”
Modern English
English
bing
“A spoil heap, especially one associated with coal mining; also used as the brand name Bing for Microsoft's search engine.”