BEARING


Meaning of BEARING in English

I. ˈberiŋ, ˈba(a)r-, -rēŋ noun

( -s )

Etymology: Middle English bering, from gerund of beren to bear — more at bear

1.

a. : the manner in which one bears oneself : carriage

a man of erect and soldierly bearing

b. : the manner in which one comports oneself : behavior , mien

a sedate and dignified bearing

a confident and cheerful bearing — Sheridan LeFanu

c. : pleasing, impressive, or assured carriage or mien

a man of bearing

2.

a. : the act of bringing forth young

weakened by this succession of child- bearings

an older woman past bearing

b. : the action or fact of bringing forth fruit, flowers, or other yield : crop

three bearings in a year

3. : pressure , thrust

4.

a. : an object, surface, or point that supports : supporting power : point of support

b. : the act or fact of carrying or supporting

c. : a machine part in which a journal, gudgeon, pivot, pin, or other part revolves, oscillates, or slides — see ball bearing , needle bearing , roller bearing , thrust bearing

5.

a. : a single charge in a coat of arms

the lion is a frequent heraldic bearing

b. bearings plural : coat of arms

the bearings of Scrope are: azure a bend or

6. bearings plural

a. : the widest part of a ship below plank-sheer

b. : the line of flotation of a ship when properly trimmed

7.

a. : relative situation or position : the situation of one point with respect to another or its direction from another

b. bearings plural : relative positions or directions (as in reference to the compass or to landmarks)

c. : the horizontal direction of an object or point from an observer (as on a ship or aircraft) usually measured clockwise from a reference direction and expressed in degrees from 0° to 360° : azimuth 1b — see compass bearing , magnetic bearing , relative bearing , true bearing

d. : an examination or determination of one's position or situation

let's take a bearing

e. bearings plural : comprehension or appreciation of one's position, environment, or situation : perception aiding orientation

time for a newcomer to get his bearings

to lose your bearings

f. : relation , connection : full consequence

to consider the matter in all its bearings

: relationship , influence

the question had no bearing on the outcome

g. : purport , significance

the bearing of a remark

8.

a. : the part of any member of a building that rests upon its supports

a lintel or beam with 4 inches of bearing upon the wall

b. : an unsupported span

the beam has 20 feet of bearing between its supports

9.

a. sometimes plural : the genital tract of a female domestic animal ; often : its uterus

b. bearings plural : eversion of the vagina at parturition in the ewe ; also : the everted part

II. adjective

Etymology: Middle English bering, from present participle of beren to bear

1. : producing or yielding

an interest- bearing note

fruit- bearing trees

: marked by or fit for producing or yielding

a good bearing year

a bearing -age tree

2. of a structural member : supporting : withstanding a weight, thrust, or strain

a bearing partition

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.