bearings

[bair-ing] Origin

bear·ing

[bair-ing]
noun
1.
the manner in which one conducts or carries oneself, including posture and gestures: a man of dignified bearing.
2.
the act, capability, or period of producing or bringing forth: a tree past bearing.
3.
something that is produced; a crop.
4.
the act of enduring or capacity to endure.
5.
reference or relation (usually followed by on): It has some bearing on the problem.
EXPAND
6.
Architecture.
a.
a supporting part of a structure.
b.
the area of contact between a bearing member, as a beam, and a pier, wall, or other underlying support.
7.
Machinery. the support and guide for a rotating, oscillating, or sliding shaft, pivot, or wheel.
8.
Often, bearings. direction or relative position: The pilot radioed his bearings.
9.
Surveying. a horizontal direction expressed in degrees east or west of a true or magnetic north or south direction.
10.
Heraldry. any single device on an escutcheon; charge.
COLLAPSE

Origin:
1200–50; Middle English beryng. See bear1, -ing1

un·bear·ing, adjective


1. carriage, mien, demeanor, behavior, conduct. See manner1. 5. connection, dependency; application. 8. course, aim.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Bearings is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

bearing
"carrying of oneself, deportment," mid-13c., from bear (v.). Mechanical sense of "part of a machine that bears the friction" is from 1791.
EXPAND

bearings
"parts of a machine which 'bear' the friction," 1791, from bear (v.). Meaning "direction from a point of reference" is from 1630s; to take (one's) bearings is from 1711.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

bearings

see get one's bearings.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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