helping

UK/ˈhɛlpɪŋ/US/ˈhɛlpɪŋ/

nounB1Very common — you will meet it every day · #736 of 15,258neutral

A helping is the amount of food put on one plate at one time. A second helping, a generous helping, small helpings.

A second helping is a compliment to the cook. Portion is the more formal word and the one used on packaging, where a portion is defined and a helping is however much you put out. A generous helping is the standard phrase. Note a helping hand, which is a different word doing a different job; and helping of, used figuratively — a helping of luck.

Definitions of helping

1nounhelpingThe amount of food put on one plate at one time.B1
“The soup was so good that he asked for a second helping.”
- Said"That's a big helping for a small boy; you don't have to finish it."
- WrittenShe gave the guests a second helping before they could refuse, and nobody did.
- UsedServe a small helping first; people can always come back.
- ContrastA helping, not a dish. The dish is the recipe; a helping is how much of it lands on your plate. dish →
- Not thisA whole pie is not a helping. A helping is one person's share from it.
- SimplyOne helping is enough. I am full.
Patterna second / generous / small helping · a helping of + noun · have another helping

helping is a serving of food.

Also accepted in games: serving

Remember it

HELPing → what you HELP yourself to

It is help + ing: help yourself to a plate of food, and that plate is a helping.

hooks ontohelp

Where it comes from

Help plus -ing. The sense comes from helping somebody to food at the table, which is why you help yourself, and it is one of the older uses of help in English.

Middle English
helping
English, today
helping

From Middle English helping, helpinge, helpynge, equivalent to help + -ing.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Definitions of helping

1nounhelpingThe amount of food put on one plate at one time.B1

“The soup was so good that he asked for a second helping.”

Said"That's a big helping for a small boy; you don't have to finish it."
WrittenShe gave the guests a second helping before they could refuse, and nobody did.
UsedServe a small helping first; people can always come back.
ContrastA helping, not a dish. The dish is the recipe; a helping is how much of it lands on your plate. dish →
Not thisA whole pie is not a helping. A helping is one person's share from it.
SimplyOne helping is enough. I am full.

Patterna second / generous / small helping · a helping of + noun · have another helping

helping is a serving of food.

Also accepted in games: serving