imprinting

[ im-prin-ting ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, Animal Behavior, Psychology.

rapid learning that occurs during a brief receptive period, typically soon after birth or hatching, and establishes a long-lasting behavioral response to a specific individual or object, as attachment to parent, offspring, or site.

imprinting

/ ɪmˈprɪntɪŋ /

the development through exceptionally fast learning in young animals of recognition of and attraction to members of their own species or to surrogates

imprinting

/ ĭm′prĭn′tĭng /

A rapid learning process by which a newborn or very young animal establishes a behavior pattern of recognition and attraction towards other animals of its own kind, as well as to specific individuals of its species, such as its parents, or to a substitute for these. Ducklings, for example, will imprint upon and follow the first large moving object they observe. In nature, this is usually their mother, but they can be made to imprint upon other moving objects, such as a soccer ball.

1937; imprint + -ing ¹, translation of German Prägung, K. Lorenz's term

More channels, more competition for the viewers' attention, means fewer shows imprinting themselves on the culture.

The new oil paint, that is, reveals the sacred story of spiritual light imprinting on matter better than ever before.

Imprinting is introduced in Eclipse as an involuntary, lifelong attachment to a soul mate.

The fastidious and leisurely still seal their envelopes with wax, imprinting thus their monogram.

Chocolate manufacturers seemed to have a passion for imprinting their Quakerly names on every bit of stuff they sold.

Each morning the child greets his father by imprinting a kiss upon the hand.

He shook his head, his eyes roaming over her hungrily, imprinting every detail of her beauty on his memory to stay.

From whom was the paper purchased on which appears the imprinting on the exhibit identified here as Commission Exhibit No. 996.

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