Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - reading

 I. biographical name  1st Marquis of 1860-1935 Rufus Daniel Isaacs British statesman; viceroy of India (1921-26)  II. geographical name  1. town E Massachusetts N of Boston population 23,708  2. city SE Pennsylvania on the Schuylkill population 81,207  3. town S England capital of Berkshire population 122,600 READING  noun  Date: before 12th century  1. the act of ~  2.  a. material read or for ~  b. extent of material read  3.  a. a particular version  b. data indicated by an instrument  4.  a. a particular interpretation of something (as a law)  b. a particular performance of something (as a musical work)  5. an indication of a certain state of affairs a study to get some ~ of shoppers' preferences