Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Bearing

Bear′ing

(bâr′ĭng)
,
Noun.
1.
The manner in which one bears or conducts one’s self; mien; behavior; carriage.
I know him by his
bearing
.
Shakespeare
2.
Patient endurance; suffering without complaint.
3.
The situation of one object, with respect to another, such situation being supposed to have a connection with the object, or influence upon it, or to be influenced by it; hence, relation; connection.
But of this frame, the
bearings
and the ties,
The strong connections, nice dependencies.
Pope.
4.
Purport; meaning; intended significance; aspect.
5.
The act, power, or time of producing or giving birth;
as, a tree in full
bearing
; a tree past
bearing
.
[His mother] in travail of his
bearing
.
R. of Gloucester.
6.
(Arch.)
(a)
That part of any member of a building which rests upon its supports;
as, a lintel or beam may have four inches of
bearing
upon the wall
.
(b)
The portion of a support on which anything rests.
(c)
Improperly, the unsupported span;
as, the beam has twenty feet of
bearing
between its supports
.
7.
(Mach.)
(a)
The part of an axle or shaft in contact with its support, collar, or boxing; the journal.
(b)
The part of the support on which a journal rests and rotates.
8.
(Her.)
Any single emblem or charge in an escutcheon or coat of arms – commonly in the
pl.
A carriage covered with armorial
bearings
.
Thackeray.
9.
(Naut.)
(a)
The situation of a distant object, with regard to a ship's position, as on the bow, on the lee quarter, etc.; the direction or point of the compass in which an object is seen;
as, the
bearing
of the cape was W. N. W
.
(b)
pl.
The widest part of a vessel below the plank-sheer.
(c)
pl.
The line of flotation of a vessel when properly trimmed with cargo or ballast.
Ball bearings
.
See under
Ball
.
To bring one to his bearings
,
to bring one to his senses.
To lose one's bearings
,
to become bewildered.
To take bearings
,
to ascertain by the compass the position of an object; to ascertain the relation of one object or place to another; to ascertain one's position by reference to landmarks or to the compass; hence (
Fig.
), to ascertain the condition of things when one is in trouble or perplexity.
Syn. – Deportment; gesture; mien; behavior; manner; carriage; demeanor; port; conduct; direction; relation; tendency; influence.

Webster 1828 Edition


Bearing

BEARING

,
ppr.
Supporting; carrying; producing.

Definition 2024


bearing

bearing

English

Adjective

bearing (not comparable)

  1. That which bears (whatever this combining form combines with).
  2. Of a beam, column, or other device, carrying weight or load.
    That's a bearing wall.

Derived terms

Translations

Ball bearing

Noun

bearing (plural bearings)

  1. A mechanical device that supports another part and/or reduces friction.
  2. (navigation, nautical) The horizontal angle between the direction of an object and another object, or between it and that of true north; a heading or direction.
  3. Relevance; a relationship or connection.
    That has no bearing on this issue.
    • Alexander Pope
      But of this frame, the bearings and the ties, / The strong connections, nice dependencies.
  4. One's posture, demeanor, or manner.
    She walks with a confident, self-assured bearing.
    • Shakespeare
      I know him by his bearing.
  5. (in the plural) Direction or relative position.
  6. (architecture) That part of any member of a building which rests upon its supports.
    A lintel or beam may have four inches of bearing upon the wall.
  7. (architecture) The portion of a support on which anything rests.
  8. (architecture, proscribed) The unsupported span.
    The beam has twenty feet of bearing between its supports.
  9. (heraldry) Any single emblem or charge in an escutcheon or coat of arms.
    • Thackeray
      A carriage covered with armorial bearings.

Hyponyms

Related terms

  • find one’s bearings
  • get one’s bearings
  • lose one’s bearings

Translations

Pronunciation

See also

Verb

bearing

  1. present participle of bear

Anagrams