bearingn.1
/ˈbɛːrɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈbɛrɪŋ/ I. Senses relating to bear v.1 III.
1. † a. The fact of being born; birth. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > [noun]
birdeOE
birtha1200
i-borenessc1225
bearingc1275
nativityc1375
progressionc1385
gettingc1480
natality1483
naissance1490
falling1533–4
nascence1570
natitial1612
progermination1648
happy event1737
engendure1821
arrival1830
birthhood1867
interesting event1899
c1275 Kentish Serm. in J. Hall Select. Early Middle Eng. (1920) I. 215 Þis is si glorius miracle, and si glorius seywinge of ure lordes beringe.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11079 All mad þai mirth at his bering.
b. The action or process of giving birth; parturition. See also childbearing n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > [noun] > childbirth or delivery
teamOE
childinga1275
birtha1325
childc1330
deliverancea1375
childbearinga1400
kindlinga1400
birth-bearingc1426
forthbringing1429
childbirth?a1450
parturitya1450
bearinga1500
delivery1548
parture1588
infantment1597
puerpery1602
exclusion1646
parturition1646
venter1657
outbirth1691
clecking1815
parturience1822
birthing1928
natural childbirth1933
a1500 (c1400) Vision of Tundale (Adv.) (1843) l. 908 As wemen..When thei ben in beryng of chylde.
1783 Siberian Anecd. III. viii. 55 Their usual consumption in a year was a barren cow, and an old sow past bearing.
1870 Vermont Chron. 12 Mar. 1/2 Women are only fitted for the bearing and rearing of children.
1956 Jrnl. Hist. Ideas 17 149 Anne was childless and beyond the age of bearing when, through a divine miracle, Mary was born.
2010 Manila Times (Nexis) 14 Feb. Teang did not complain, but the bearing of children told on her.
2.
a. With reference to a plant, the earth, etc.: the action or process of producing flowers, fruit, etc.; an act of this. Also: the stage of development or seasonal change at which this occurs, esp. in in bearing, into bearing.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by growth or development > [noun] > sprouting or germination
shutea1300
springinga1387
bearinga1398
germination?1440
springing1531
sprouting1547
blading1548
shoot1572
sprout1586
spring1597
putting1623
eruption1626
spindling1626
germinating1644
spearing1707
spiring1733
flushing1810
plantulation1819
germing1832
germinance1841
stooling1854
coming up1908
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. viii. i. 445 No lasse wondir is..of þe erþe in beringe and bringinge forþ of herbes, treen, and floures, and of fruyt.
1594 H. Plat Jewell House 5 He did greatly backward the tree in his bearing.
1709 G. Stanhope Paraphr. Epist. & Gospels IV. 255 Bearing will be required from every Branch.
1800 tr. B. de Saint Pierre Voy. Isle of France xxix. 311 If then a tree is a machine, one part of it must be appropriated for the bearing of flowers, another for the spreading of the roots.
1934 Agric. Outlook 1935 (U.S. Dept. Agric.) 117 There are now sufficient trees in bearing and coming into bearing to increase production further.
2011 D. S. L. Jarvis & A. Welch ASEAN Industries 194 The aim is to transform the industry away from earlier short trunk trees, dense plantation and early bearings.
b. That which is produced by a plant; fruit, a crop. rare (now Jamaican).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivation of plants or crops > crop or crops > [noun]
wastumc888
tiltha1100
estrea1300
madder-cropc1300
gainage1390
cropa1400
yieldingc1405
emblement1495
burden?1523
increase1535
field-ware1546
gather1555
esplees1598
husbandrya1616
glebe1660
warea1661
récolte1669
tilling1680
tillage1681
stuffa1687
growing1722
bearing1747
raccolta1748
the crops1789
plant1832
raising1857
cropping1861
1747 J. Houstoun Mem. Own Life-time 299 With this Difference from the Bearings of our Trees, that the Fruit of our Brains becomes rotten as soon almost as ripe.
1835 W. Wordsworth Yarrow Revisited 118 Rich mellow bearings, that for thanks shall call.
1952 in F. G. Cassidy & R. B. LePage Dict. Jamaican Eng. (1967) 34/1 The bearing of aribeka is mos' like ginger.
3. The vulva, esp. of a horse or cow. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > sexual organs and reproduction > [noun] > sexual organs
bearing1674
1674 London Gaz. No. 911/4 A Bright bay Mare..lately Stackt behind under her Bearing.
1779 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 69 285 The teats and the external female parts, called by farmers the bearing.
1837 Brit. Husbandry (Libr. Useful Knowl.) II. xxxviii. 439 The time of parturition will evidently appear by the springing of her udder and the dropping of her belly, together with a discharge from the bearing.
1965 R. S. Borwick People with Long Ears ix. 127 Once a donkey has bred, her bearing (vulva) is never quite so small again, nor is her udder.
II. Senses relating to bear v.1 I.
4. † b. That which is done or achieved; an act, a deed. Obsolete.
a. The way in which a person moves or stands; carriage, deportment. Also: the way in which a person behaves or conducts himself or herself.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > [noun] > demeanour or bearing
i-bereOE
i-letelOE
lundc1175
semblanta1240
countenancec1290
fare1297
porturec1300
bearinga1325
portc1330
abearc1350
demeaning14..
habit1413
apporta1423
havingsa1425
maintenance?c1436
demeanc1450
maintain?1473
deport1474
maintaining1477
demeanance1486
affair1487
containing1487
behaviour1490
representation1490
haviour?1504
demeanour1509
miena1522
function1578
amenance1590
comportance1590
portance1590
purport1590
manage1593
style1596
dispose1601
deportments1603
comportment1605
garb1605
aira1616
deportment1638
comport1660
tour1702
sway1753
disport1761
maintien1814
tenue1828
portment1833
allure1841
the world > space > relative position > posture > [noun] > manner of carrying body
bearinga1325
gesturec1410
gest1509
shapea1577
sitting1583
carriage1595
comportment1605
deportment1638
poise1771
set-up1889
tenue1892
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2178 Bi gure bering men mai it sen.
?a1425 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Harl. 3943) (1883) i. 181 She stode ful low & stil alone..Symple of beryng [a1413 Pierpont Morgan of a-tyr] & deboner of chere.
1495 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VII (Electronic ed.) Parl. Oct. 1495 §49. m. 29 To be of goode beryng ayenst the king.
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing ii. i. 150 That is Claudio, I knowe him by his bearing . View more context for this quotation
1731 P. Frowde Philotas i. 14 His gentle Temper, which long stood the Trial, Broke by thy o'erstretch'd Pride, and haughty Bearing.
1873 W. Black Princess of Thule vi. 86 She could not fail to see the..courtesy of his bearing towards women.
1949 Wisconsin State Jrnl. 18 July 6/2 It's her bearing that gives her the illusion of beauty.
2018 Sunday Times (Ireland ed.) (Nexis) 29 Apr. 12 The character's regal bearing means he automatically has an aura that befits Marvel's newest star.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > [noun] > an act or deed > exceptional or remarkable
adventurec1300
bearinga1387
feata1400
hardiment1487
facta1525
derring-do1579
achievement1583
adventry1616
coup d'éclat1668
exploit1725
venture1810
stunt1892
a hard act to follow1942
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 27 (MED) Þis cronicle conteyneþ berynges and dedes [L. gesta] of meny tyme.
c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 218 (MED) He by hise good gouernauncis and good beryngis anentis þe kyng..maade amendis.
a1500 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Trin. Dublin) (1893) 41 Þe wykkyd & wondyrfull hauyngys & beringes of men.
1639 G. Chapman & J. Shirley Trag. Chabot i. sig. E3 How this great and mighty fortune hath exalted him to pride is apparant,..in his braves and bearings to the King.
5. The action of attesting something; attestation; an act or instance of this. Cf. bear v.1 9.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > [noun]
i-witnessc888
witshipc900
warranting1303
recordc1330
witnessingc1330
bearingc1400
testificationc1450
certificate1472
certification1532
induction1551
suffrage1563
vouching1574
testifying1585
attestation1598
testation1642
attesting1661
adduction1687
attestment1850
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. v. l. 89 Of chydynge and of chalangynge was his chief lyflode, With bakbitynge and bismer and beryng of fals witnesse.
1532 L. Cox Art or Crafte Rhetoryke sig. E.iiv As concernyng equitie and good conscience, requisite, in berynge of recorde..: truely this nacion neuer obserued this property.
1678 R. Barclay Apol. True Christian Divinity (new ed.) 234 So long as we are cloathed with this outward tabernacle, there is a necessity to the..bearing of an outward testimony for God.
1720 T. Gordon Humourist I. 177 False Swearing, and the bearing of false Witness, was a considerable and a gainful Trade.
1867 Prophetic Times Dec. 181/2 It would have a mighty influence on the world around, if there were a faithful bearing of testimony to this truth, on the part of Christians generally.
1982 Synthese 52 179 In general, the bearing of evidence is far more dependent on theoretical elaboration than is meaning or understanding.
2001 Australasian Jrnl. Amer. Stud. 20 59 The collective bearing of witness provides some assurance against the very real potential for history to be used in the most abusive way.
6.
a. The action of carrying, transporting, or conveying someone or something.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by carrying > [noun]
carryinga1382
bearing?a1425
convoyance1543
the world > movement > transference > [noun] > conveying or transporting > action of carrying
carryinga1382
bearing?a1425
vectiona1623
totinga1862
carry1880
?a1425 (?c1350) Northern Passion (Rawl.) l. 2711 (MED) He was wery of his gate ffro bereyng of þe heuy tre.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 126v The Camell..is bumbast vpon the backe for bearing of burdens.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) iv. ii. 114 Good foole, some inke, paper, and light: and conuey what I will set downe to my Lady: it shall aduantage thee more, then euer the bearing of Letter did.
1678 W. Salmon tr. Pharmacopœia Londinensis iii. xiii. 405/2 Cocks Gizard stone. The bearing of it is said to provoke Venery.
1855 Advent Rev. & Sabbath Herald (Rochester, N.Y.) 16 Oct. 57/3 God and Christ each had an angel, that had as their appointed work the bearing of messages to those to whom God would reveal them.
1912 Mil. Surgeon 30 169 Instruction in..bearing of wounded over long stretches is in times of profound peace an unnecessarily arduous task for corps men.
2002 Econ. News (Nexis) 11 Apr. The defendants..confessed to the bearing of arms only and declared that they did not use the arms.
b. Backgammon. The action or process of removing pieces from the board in the final states of the game, according to a roll of the dice; = bearing off n. at Compounds 1b. See bear v.1 1e. Now rare.bearing off n. at Compounds 1b is now the usual term.
ΚΠ
1550 J. Heywood Hundred Epigrammes liii. sig. Bviiiv I will no more plaie at tables with the: Whan we come to bearyng, thou begylest me, In bearyng of thy men.
1674 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester 156 When you come to bearing have a care of making when you need not.
1819 W. Green Backgammon Teacher 22 If you have a man behind any of your adversary's, keep him there..the hindrance he will cause to your adversary in bearing, will more than compensate a little loss in playing your other men.
1931 Courier & Advertiser (Dundee) 17 Mar. 6/3 If you are to play backgammon you must learn a lot about ‘hits’, ‘bearing’, ‘blots’, ‘booby points’ and master quite a lot of intricate moves.
7. Heraldry. A heraldic charge or device depicted on an escutcheon or shield and used to identify a person, family, etc. Often in armorial bearings n. at armorial adj. and n. Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > charge: device on shield > [noun]
bearing1562
prise1572
formality?1578
charge1599
armorial bearings1610
1562 G. Legh Accedens of Armory f. 207 Vpon the valence of that Studie, weare Schocheons of vnparfeite bearing.
1614 J. Selden Titles of Honor Pref. When the Prince ennobled any, he vsually gaue him the particular of his Bearing in Blazon.
1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1772 I. 372 Armorial Bearings..Johnson said..were as ancient as the siege of Thebes.
?1828 W. Berry Encycl. Heraldica I. at Abaissé When the fesse, or any other bearing, is depressed or situate below the centre of the shield, it is then said to be abaissé.
1919 Encycl. Americana XIV. 113/1 The escutcheon is supposed to be divided into a certain number of imaginary points or divisions for the fixing and placing of the bearings when they are described in words.
2012 D. W. Patterson True Image iv. 137/1 The Alexander stones show how different the bearings can be—and suggest that the American depictions of the arms are less reliable.
8. The experiencing or harbouring of a feeling or emotion, esp. a negative one. Also: an act or instance of this.
ΚΠ
1563 Bp. E. Sandys Let. 28 Dec. in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1824) 1st Ser. II. 195 Which benefitt of all others I esteame the most, and can no otherwise recompense but onlie by bearing of good will.
1699 Church Catech. Explain'd 46 The sixth Commandment also forbids the doing any outward injury to any Person, and all revenge, and the bearing of any malice. or hatred in my heart.
1792 Analyt. Rev. Feb. 199 How the wishing for the improvement of the established church can be a bearing of ill-will to it, remains for high churchmen to discover.
1955 Daily Herald (Circleville, Ohio) 14 Nov. 5/5 An individual must first of all get along with himself, by graduating from..the bearing of resentment and a sense of guilt.
2018 @hunjara 19 May in twitter.com (accessed 21 Oct. 2019) I don't think anyone is advocating the bearing of grudges..but should we forget history?
III. Senses relating to bear v.1 II.† 12.
9. The supporting or upholding of a physical weight or strain. Formerly also: the action or an act of supporting or defending a person, esp. a person accused of something (obsolete). Cf. through-bearing n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > support > [noun] > supporting
bearinga1387
maintaininga1387
sustaining1395
supportinga1450
underpropping1586
backing1598
upholding1605
through-bearing1656
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 361 (MED) Þe berynge and þe holdynge vp of heuene, while Atlas þe geant reste hym.
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 104 (MED) Þe hynder forsoþ he cureþ with streching & suspension or beryng [L. deportatione] of som weight.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. lxixv Indicted of riottes, and mainteinaunce of bearynges of diuerse misdoers within the countie.
a1555 H. Latimer 27 Serm. (1562) ii. f. 16v In ye place of iustice, there I haue sene bearing and bolstryng.
1610 J. Guillim Display of Heraldrie ii. vi. 56 A paire of Bargecouples or Rafters, such as Carpenters do set on the highest part of the house, for bearing of the roofe thereof.
1770 A. Young Six Months Tour N. Eng. III. xviii. 228 This time was given it for a gradual draining, that the surface might be tolerably firm for the bearing of men and horses.
1883 Cleveland (Ohio) Daily Herald 24 Dec. 2/4 This thickness of this [road] covering was to be regulated solely in relation to its imperviousness, and not at all as to its bearing of weights, to which the native soil was quite equal.
2019 J. Little Time-Saver's Workout (e-book ed.) Into a position where the bones contribute to the bearing of the load (rather than just the muscles).
10. A structure that holds up an object, keeps an object upright, or on which an object rests; a support; a supporting surface. Formerly also: †the power or capacity to support an object (obsolete rare).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > support > [noun] > that which supports
staffc1000
hold1042
source1359
legc1380
shorer1393
stabilimenta1398
upholder1398
sustentationa1400
undersetterc1400
bearinga1425
undersettinga1425
suppowellc1430
triclinec1440
sustentaclec1451
supportera1475
sustainerc1475
sustenal1483
stayc1515
buttress1535
underpinning1538
firmament1554
countenance1565
support1570
appuia1573
comfort1577
hypostasis1577
underpropping1586
porter1591
supportation1593
supportance1597
understaya1603
bearer1607
rest1609
upsetter1628
mountinga1630
sustent1664
underlay1683
holdfast1706
abutment1727
suppeditor1728
mount1739
monture1746
bed1793
appoggiatura1833
bracing1849
bench1850
under-pinner1859
bolster-piece1860
sustainer1873
table mount1923
a1425 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Linc. Inn) (1952) l. 482 Him þouȝte agoshauk wiþ gret flyȝt Setliþ on his beryng [c1400 Laud herbergeynge].
1679 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. ix. 154 This Post..Bears upon the Floor, to make its Bearing the stronger.
1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §274 Each floor..lying upon the horizontal bearings furnished by these ledges.
1876 Handbk. Sc. App. S. Kens. 5 A greater number of bearings is required to prevent the mirror from becoming strained by its own weight.
2015 V. L. Liang et al. in K. M. Mahmoud Sustainable Bridge Structures 94 Note the center three fixed bearings over the pier.
11. Endurance of an ordeal or difficulty with fortitude or resignation; toleration of someone or something unpleasant or unwelcome.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > calmness > patience > [noun]
thildc950
tholemodec1000
tholemodenessc1000
tholeburdnessa1050
patience?c1225
sustenancea1425
sustentationa1425
supportationa1438
bearing1496
patientnessa1500
supporture1609
bearance1611
uncomplainingness1877
1496 Rote or Myrour Consolacyon & Conforte (de Worde) sig. Fijv Drawe thou nyghe & cleue to god for he is felowo [probably read felowe] to the in this sufferynge & berynge of trybulacyon.
1631 J. Mabbe tr. F. de Rojas Spanish Bawd x. 120 Frame..for your eares the bumbast or stuffing of sufferance and bearing.
1722 W. Willymott tr. Thomas à Kempis Of Imitation of Christ ii. xii. 178 No man is qualified to comprehend heavenly things, till he hath beat down and subdued himself to the bearing of adversities for the sake of Christ.
1856 C. M. Yonge Daisy Chain xxiv. 236 The patient bearing of his vexation, has done more to renew Norman's spirits, than all his prosperity.
1942 Times Lit. Suppl. 26 Dec. 628/1 The pilot's personal story of heroic bearing of pain..is told without the slightest trace of self-pity.
2013 Eureka (Calif.) Times Standard (Nexis) 7 July The pain of that humiliation was almost beyond bearing.
a. Building. The length of a beam between two supports. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > support > [noun] > that which supports > length of a beam between two supports
bearing1670
1670 tr. P. Le Muet Art of Fair Building 30 If it chance that the Beam hath a long bearing [Fr. portee], one may support it with the King-post.
1726 R. Neve City & Country Purchaser (ed. 2) at Bearer A Post, or Brick-wall, that is trimm'd up between the ends of a piece of Timber to shorten its Bearing.
b. Woodworking. The distance between the cutting edge of a tool and the support in which it is held. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > [noun] > cutting part of > distance from rest
bearing1680
1680 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. xi. 194 Its Edge cutting at a greater Bearing from the Rest..it is then more subject to tremble.
13. In a machine: a component that supports a moving part, restricts its motion to that of a particular kind (e.g. rotational), and is designed to minimize friction.Frequently with modifying word, as ball bearing, diamond bearing, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > other parts > [noun] > parts for reducing friction
bearing1734
friction-wheel1772
friction-roller1793
friction-ball1813
cylinder1819
screw-down1864
ball bearing1867
needle roller1935
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > shaft > [noun] > parts of > support or bearing
headstock1688
brass1731
bearing1734
carriage1788
step1814
bearance1826
footstep1836
cod1839
pivot bearing1851
roller bearing1857
thrust-bearing1858
step-plate1869
thrust-bearer1869
needle bearing1870
journal-bearing1875
wall-bearing1875
plain bearing1893
tumbler-bearing1901
split bearing1902
sleeve bearing1907
thrust-box1918
taper roller bearing1930
1734 J. Rowe All Sorts of Wheel-carriage ii. 9 The said bearings are more or less under or over the Plane of the Horizon.
1791 Specif. Patent 1794 Water wheels to be made and fixed upon bearings.
1881 Printing Trades Jrnl. xxxi. 38 Heated bearings in machinery may be relieved..by the use of graphite as a lubricator.
1941 Sci. Amer. Oct. 188/1 The performance of a bearing in service is not entirely dependent on those conditions which can be analyzed in design.
2014 P. Henshaw Triumph Thunderbird, Trophy & Tiger ix. 32 The bearings don't cost an arm and a leg, but trouble here can affect the handling, and changing them is a big job.
IV. Senses relating to bear v.1 IV.† 15. Nautical. The point on a ship's hull (below the point of maximum breadth) at which the ship's resistance to being pressed into the water by wind in the sails or the weight of cargo increases noticeably (also plural in same sense). Also: the fact of having this point above the waterline. Obsolete.† 16. An act of springing forward or back; (as a mass noun) the quality or characteristic of springing; elasticity. Cf. bear n.3 Obsolete. rare.Apparently only in the works of Nathaniel Fairfax.† 18. A state of being operative or effective; a result, esp. a successful or desirable one. Chiefly in to bring to a bearing, to come to a bearing. Obsolete.Perhaps sometimes associated with bear v.1 III., in the sense of producing or yielding a result.† 19. Music. The variation allowed from the true pitch of a note, in tuning an instrument on the method of unequal temperament (temperament n. 10). Cf. sense 14c. Obsolete.
14.
a.
(a) The direction or position of something, or the direction of in which something is moving, relative to a fixed point or line. See also compass-bearings n. at compass n.1, adj., and adv. Compounds 2.The bearing is usually measured in degrees, typically with magnetic north as zero.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > [noun] > direction from a point of reference
bearing1616
compass-bearings1823
the world > space > direction > [noun] > direction with relation to a meridian
bearing1616
1616 R. T. Brief Treat. Vse of Globe 51 From London to Ierusalem the bearing is 85 degrees.
1752 Philos. Trans. 1749–50 (Royal Soc.) 46 513 To make the Compass useful in taking..the Bearings of Head-lands, Ships and other Objects.
1858 in Mercantile Marine Mag. 5 229 All Bearings herein given are Magnetic.
1942 Electronic Engin. 15 9 Long wave pulse transmitter..to enable bearings on the aircraft to be obtained on the ground.
2004 E. Sherman Geocaching iv. 75 A compass provides a good way of measuring a bearing.
(b) one's bearings: one's position relative to one's surroundings; (hence figurative) an understanding of one's situation or environment. Chiefly in to get one's bearings, to take one's bearings, to lose one's bearings.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > point or lie in a direction [verb (intransitive)] > take one's bearings
to take one's bearings1852
1852 C. Fox Let. 30 Nov. in Mem. Old Friends (1882) II. 196 When we come upon a perplexing ganglion of paths, [we have to] wait patiently and take our bearings.
1889 ‘M. Twain’ Connecticut Yankee xl. 136 You do feel so strange and stuffy, like somebody else..that has been..struck by lightning..and hasn't quite fetched around, yet,..and can't just get his bearings.
1960 Daily Tel. 19 May 18/3 All that I can do is first of all not get too excited and lose my bearings, or my country loses its bearings.
2000 B. Kingsolver Prodigal Summer xviii. 300 She had to sit up and think for a minute to get her bearings.
b. line of bearing n. the direction in which something lies, extends, or moves relative to a fixed point or line; (Navy) the direction in which a linear formation of ships points or moves.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > [noun] > direction in which a thing extends
journey?a1560
run1671
lie1697
line of bearing1717
trend1777
lay1819
orientation1875
1717 J. Green Constr. Maps & Globes i. xiv. 86 Where those Lines intersect, the Lines of bearing from A, will be the Points of their Situation.
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 967 When the line of dip, and consequently the line of bearing which is at right angles to it, are unknown, they are sought for by making three bores.
1920 Discovery Nov. 330/1 Collingwood signalled to some of his ships to spread out.., the result being a partial resemblance to what is called a line of bearing.
2013 A. Noice Day Skipper for Sail & Power (ed. 2) x. 92 (caption) Draw the line of bearing on the chart with a pencil.
c. In plural. Music. On a piano, organ, or similar keyboard instrument: a number of notes in the middle of its compass (compass n.1 10), which constitute the first part of the instrument to be tuned and from which the other notes are tuned. Chiefly in to lay the bearings. Cf. sense 20.In quot. 1724: a minute inflection of pitch in singing, used to ‘tune’ the voice.
ΚΠ
1724 W. Turner Sound Anatomiz'd 61 It would be endless to attempt to give you all the ways of these Bearings, because, as I said..their Variation is infinite, nevertheless, these, well practised, will sufficiently enable you to make a speedy Progress.
1843 Penny Cycl. XXV. 356/2 The parts [of the piano] which are first tuned by the fifths, and from which all the others are tuned by octaves, are called bearings.
1918 Music Trades 9 Nov. 36/1 Before beginning to lay the bearings, carefully examine that portion of the instrument above the bearings, and any note that has a pitch which is decidedly too high, should be lowered; for correct bearings cannot be laid when notes above are too high in pitch.
1962 W. L. Sumner Organ (ed. 3) 286 In very large organs it is necessary to ‘lay the bearings’ separately on several ranks, and a number of telephones are used to communicate with the man at the console.
2007 C. di Veroli et al. in I. Kipnis Harpsichord & Clavichord 490/1 The first phase of actual tuning..is..known as ‘laying the bearings’.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > vessel with reference to qualities or attributes > [noun] > attributes of vessel > greatest width
bearinga1618
beam1627
main-breadth1850
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > side(s) of vessel > [noun] > waterline > with ballast and provisions
bearing1836
a1618 W. Raleigh Disc. Invention Shipping 18 in Judicious & Select Ess. (1650) We have given longer Floares to our Ships, then in elder times, and better bearing under water, whereby they never fall into the Sea.
c1620 Treat. Shipbuilding (modernized text) in W. Salisbury & R. C. Anderson Treat. Shipbuilding & Treat. Rigging (1958) 16 Merchants covet to have great floors in their ships for gaining of stowage, but thereby they spoil the ship's bearing for most of them grow tender sided and after they are built come to be furred.
1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ii. 3 There doth begin the compasse and bearing of the ship.
1836 F. Marryat Pirate iii, in Pirate & Three Cutters 22 The wind howled—and..the vessel was pressed down to her bearings by its force.
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the world > matter > constitution of matter > softness > pliableness > [noun] > elasticity
restitution1656
tensility1659
springiness1662
spring power1662
elasticity1664
bearing1674
spring1683
resiliency1712
resilience1807
1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 118 Slower motions are made up of starts and bearings, or springsomness.
1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 119 A pend or earnest strift fromwards, which we call springsomness or bearing.
17. A pushing force exerted by one part of a structure or device on another contiguous part; (in early use chiefly Architecture) such a force exerted laterally by an arch or other part of a building or structure against an abutment or support; = thrust n. 3a(a). Chiefly with against. Cf. bear n.3
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > force > [noun] > pressure > thrust
impulsion?a1475
trusion1656
bear1674
thrust1708
push1715
bearing1753
shoot1772
out-thrust1842
1676 H. More Remarks 2 Disc. 64 If the innate Gravitation of each part of the Leaden Cube did not bear against its fellow downwards, there would be no bearing against the Scale at all.
1695 tr. M. Misson New Voy. Italy II. xvii. 184 If the Semi-Circle do not wholly appear, yet it..really is, in the Piles or other Foundations which resist the Weight or Bearing of the Arch.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. Bearing of an arch, or vault, denotes the efforts which the stones make to burst open the piers.
1889 Railroad Gaz. 29 Mar. 206/3 The draw-timbers have a bearing against the body-bolster of the car..which causes the momentum of the trucks to be transmitted directly to the buffers.
2014 U.S. Patent Applic. 2004/0135388 A1 2/1 These arms..flex outwardly in reaction to their bearing against the arms of the tweezers.
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the world > action or operation > operation upon something > [noun] > effective operation
bearing1698
1698 J. W. Youths Safety 63 The unfortunate Youth not able to bring his Masters Cash to a bearing,..for shame and fear deserts his Service.
1723 R. Wodrow Corr. (1843) III. 89 Whether I shall ever be able to bring anything of this to a bearing, I know not.
1763 C. Churchill Ghost iv. 205 Urging on each bad intent, To its full bearing.
1897 J. Taylor Victorian Empire I. 210 The affair came to a bearing on the following day.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > [noun] > correct pitch > variation allowed from
bearing1698
1698 J. Wallis in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 20 256 Pipes at equal Intervals do not give the just desired Harmony, without somewhat of Bearing.
1775 Monthly Rev. Oct. 325 The departure from strict tuning in the several consonances, being called temperaments or bearings.
20. A way in which something is connected or relevant to, or influences or affects, a person or thing; relationship; application; aspect. Chiefly with on, upon, or to a specified person or thing. Now frequently in to have a (or no) bearing on.
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the world > relative properties > relationship > [noun] > relation to something or reference
respitea1382
beholdingc1449
respect1485
aspect1509
regardc1520
reference1581
referrance1583
tending1587
reflection1614
intuition1626
concernment1640
concerning1642
tendency1651
influence1672
re1707
view1719
bearing1741
ref1845
concern1863
1741 tr. C.-F. Fraquier in tr. Select Disc. Acad. Belles Lettres 92 Both [the Painter and the Poet] must design..what they have invented, mark and distribute all the Parts, and all their Bearings, Relations and Dependencies.
1804 T. Jefferson Let. 13 June in Mem., Corr. & Private Papers (1829) III. 19 But though connected with political events, it has been viewed by me most strongly in its unfortunate bearings on my private friendships.
1889 Exeter & Plymouth Gaz. 1 Mar. 3/2 The case was important in its bearing to other people in a similar position.
1941 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 16 Aug. 229/2 Nearly half the book is devoted to a minutely documented account of pharmacy in the United States in all its bearings.
2019 Canad. Govt. News (Nexis) 21 Feb. The proposed evidence has no direct bearing on either of these issues.
21. figurative. The direction in which a person's thoughts or opinions are inclined, or towards which the argument of a text, discourse, etc., leans; tendency (of a person's character or disposition); inclination, bent. Also in plural in same sense.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > disposition or character > [noun]
heartOE
erda1000
moodOE
i-mindOE
i-cundeOE
costc1175
lundc1175
evena1200
kinda1225
custc1275
couragec1300
the manner ofc1300
qualityc1300
talentc1330
attemperancec1374
complexionc1386
dispositiona1387
propertyc1390
naturea1393
assay1393
inclinationa1398
gentlenessa1400
proprietya1400
habitudec1400
makingc1400
conditionc1405
habitc1405
conceitc1425
affecta1460
ingeny1477
engine1488
stomach?1510
mind?a1513
ingine1533
affection1534
vein1536
humour?1563
natural1564
facultyc1565
concept1566
frame1567
temperature1583
geniusa1586
bent1587
constitution1589
composition1597
character1600
tune1600
qualification1602
infusion1604
spirits1604
dispose1609
selfness1611
disposure1613
composurea1616
racea1616
tempera1616
crasisc1616
directiona1639
grain1641
turn1647
complexure1648
genie1653
make1674
personality1710
tonea1751
bearing1795
liver1800
make-up1821
temperament1821
naturalness1850
selfhood1854
Wesen1854
naturel1856
sit1857
fibre1864
character structure1873
mentality1895
mindset1909
psyche1910
where it's (he's, she's) at1967
1795 Telegraph 20 Dec. He could not at present say to which side of the question the bearings of his mind at present inclined.
1839 E. Cardwell in Documentary Ann. Reformed Church of Eng. xcvi. 404 (note) This is perfectly in accordance..with the general bearing of his character on the subject of church government.
1862 A. Trollope Orley Farm II. xv. 121 In the publicity of such sympathy there was something that suited the bearings of Miss Furnival's mind.
1929 Mind 38 318 His views of the Pure Ego appear to be at once so vague, and so unusual, that it is hard to see what is the bearing of his argument.
2018 Yeats Ann. 21 566 Soud comes down mainly on the ‘Catholic’ side (as indeed the general bearing of his book requires).
Compounds
C1.
a. With following adverb, chiefly corresponding to uses of the verb with adverbs in specialized senses at bear v.1 Phrasal verbs 1.Some of the more established compounds of this type are entered separately at Compounds 1b.
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1435–6 in H. E. Salter Churchwardens' Accts. St. Michael's Oxf. (1933) 37 (MED) Item, for i loke & i chayne for to loke the laderes, viii d. for berynge away.
1574 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Job (new ed.) cxiii. 583/2 But the cheefe thing is, the well bearing away of the two reasons that we haue touched heretofore.
1625 P. Heylyn Μικρόκοσμος (rev. ed.) 182 Sergius the third instituted the bearing about of Candles, for the purification of the blessed Virgin Mary.
a1679 J. Brown Expos. Epist. to Romans (1766) viii. 334/2 It will serve much to the bearing in of grounds of consolation upon the consciences of Christians when they hold them forth as tried by their own experience.
1878 Rep. Cases Court of Appeals N.Y. 10 22 There is no meaning of the word transfer which carries the idea of an act of extinction; or any other idea, than that of the bearing over of a right or title or property in a thing, from one to another.
1997 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 20 Sept. 4 This weekend many summer leagues climax with cup ceremonies and the bearing away of trophies.
b. † bearing out n. Obsolete a part which protrudes or extends beyond the adjacent surface; a projection; (also) the action or fact of projecting or protruding.
bearing down n. the action of to bear down at bear v.1 Phrasal verbs 1 (in various senses); an act or instance of this.Frequently with reference to abdominal contraction: see to bear down 2b at bear v.1 Phrasal verbs 1.
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a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 359 (MED) Þe berynge doun of Diomede, þe kyng of Thracia.
a1535 T. More Dialoge of Comfort (1553) iii. xii. sig. P.v Than shal they..beare vp theyr seruantes & such as depend vpon them, wt bearing downe of other innocent folke.
1685 E. Browne Brief Acct. Trav. Europe (ed. 2) 36 There is an handsome Stone Bridge..contrived..to afford some passage unto the water, when it is high; and hinder the bearing down of the Bridge.
1784 Med. Communications 2 7 Such a bearing down, as made her fearful of a miscarriage.
1797 M. Baillie Morbid Anat. (ed. 2) xxii. 415 An inversion of the vagina is attended with a sense of bearing down.
1897 D. C. Murray Little World vi. 74 He had grown accustomed to the bearing down of opposition by a bullying obstinacy.
2010 S. Yates Pregnancy & Childbirth (e-book ed.) This ‘unproductive pushing’ can be a bearing down using the upper body.
bearing off n. Backgammon the action or process of removing pieces from the board in the final stage of the game, according to a roll of the dice; see to bear off 2 at bear v.1 Phrasal verbs 1 and cf. sense 6b.
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1852 J. Sturges & G. Walker Hand Bk. Draughts & Backgammon 389 In ‘bearing off’ doublets have the same power as in the moves, four men are removed.
1978 N.Y. Times 16 Nov. c26/2 As a prelude to bearing off, switching is often a sound strategy.
2009 C. Bray Backgammon for Dummies i. 30 After you do that—and only after you get all your checkers in—you can start to take them off the board, a process called bearing off.
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1565 J. Hall Anat. 3rd Treat. ii. ii. 61 in tr. Lanfranc Most Excellent Woorke Chirurg. The other bone..lyeth vppon the other wyth a little bearinge out like a birdes bill, in length to the adiutorye: whyche bunche or knobbe maketh the forme of the elbowe when it is bowed.
1571 T. Hill Contempl. Mankinde xliii. f. 185v He which hath this part appearing eminent, is noted to be very yrefull: in that the bearing out of this part, proceedeth through the ouermuche heate of the hart.
1715 J. Kersey Dict. Anglo-Britannicum (ed. 2) Ecphora, a jutting or bearing out in a building.
1769 Universal Mag. Nov. 241/1 This cat has a round head,..the nose with a spring or bearing out, the snout short, the mouth small, and the chin appearing but little.
bearing up n. the action of to bear up at bear v.1 Phrasal verbs 1 (in various senses); esp. the supporting or upholding of a person or thing; the action or fact of holding out against adversity. Also: an act or instance of this.
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a1450 (?c1421) J. Lydgate Siege Thebes (Bodl. 776) (1911) l. 269 [a1450 Arun. Ne were the porayle her] beryng [Arun. continues vp and Supportacioun, Farwel lordshyp].
1491 tr. H. Seuse Orologium Sapiencie vii. sig. Cviiiv in Bk. Diuerse Ghostly Maters (Caxton) Suffre the berynge vppe or the helpes of god to Ioyne the to god.
1591 Duchy of Lancaster Pleadings (P.R.O.: DL 1/153 F3) Other workes..made within the groundes of your oratours said myne at your oratours great charges for bearing up of the groundes there.
1631 J. Done Polydoron sig. E10v There are 3 sorts of honest men, viz. your exchangeman for the bearing up of his credit, [etc.].
1757 Alarm to People of Eng. 35 Maintenance is, the taking in Hand, bearing up, or upholding of Quarrels, or Sides, to the Disturbance, or Hinderance, of the common Right.
1837 C. F. Partington Brit. Cycl. Nat. Hist. III. 133/2 The bearing up of the body in flight is thrown as much, if not more, upon the muscular attachment of the blade-bone to the ribs as upon the sternum.
a2015 A. C. Brandabur Time's Fool (2016) iv. 95 His bearing up under the extremities of pain is like the bearing up of the ‘steady air’ under the wings of the Windhover in Hopkins' poem.
C2. General use as a modifier.
a. In sense 6a, as in bearing-chair, bearing basket, etc.Now historical, as in bearing cloth n. at Compounds 3, bearing sword n. at Compounds 3, etc.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > conveyance carried by person or animal > [noun] > carrying-chair > sedan chair
bearing-chair1352
seat1588
sedge1615
chair1634
man-litter1640
sedan1640
chair-volant1667
street-chaira1712
sedan chair1750
stick chair1800
tonjonc1804
jampan1828
1352 in D. Yaxley Researcher's Gloss. Hist. Documents E. Anglia (2003) 10 v Beringskippes.
?c1500 Conversion of St. Paul (Digby) l. 645 In a beryng baskett or a lepe..I shall me co[n]uay [over the wall].
1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales xiv. ii. 200 Agrippina..caused herselfe to be carried to Baias in a bearing-chaire.
b. In sense 1b, as in bearing pain, bearing time, etc. Now rare.
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the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > [noun] > childbirth or delivery > time of
timeOE
term?a1540
bearing time1587
full term1607
feminonucleus1884
the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > [noun] > labour or pains
cothec1000
throea1200
pining throesc1225
travailc1300
showera1350
paina1398
travailinga1400
throng1540
labouring1598
travail pang1652
travail pain1662
labour pains1703
mother-pain1709
mother-pang1710
breeding sicknessa1714
bearing pain1787
troublea1825
birth throe1837
the world > health and disease > ill health > pain > types of pain > [noun] > other specific types of pain
shot1597
protopathy1610
tautopathya1651
clemming1773
bearing pain1787
phantom pain1944
allodynia1979
1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xxi. 369 Wouldst thou haue Children? It is hee that openeth and shetteth the bearingplace.
1595 S. Daniel First Fowre Bks. Ciuile Warres v. cix. sig. Ee3 To stay beyond the bearing tyme so long.
1650 A. Bradstreet Tenth Muse 43 To shew her bearing pangs, I should do wrong.
1685 J. Flavel Πνευματολογία 139 The Sorrows of Death are in Scripture set forth unto us, by the bearing-Throes of a Travelling Woman.
1787 Med. Communications 2 227 The throes which the women call bearing pains.
1933 J. Steinbeck To God Unknown (1968) xvii. 96 No other woman had pulled on anything but a twisted sheet during the bearing pains.
c. In senses of branch III., as in bearing capacity, bearing point, bearing shaft, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > support > [noun] > that which supports > point of support
fulciment1640
fulcrum1659
hypomochlion1665
bearing point1734
point d'appui1787
knife-edge1818
1734 J. T. Desaguliers Course Exper. Philos. I. iv. 250 These Rollers have four bearing Points, and the other two which support the Gudgeon of the great Wheel's Axis have also four bearing Points.
1835 R. Willis Remarks Archit. Middle Ages vi. 56 Each mullion consists..of a single bearing shaft.
1842 Amer. Railroad Jrnl. 15 Sept. 183 A certain breadth was required for the bearing surface of the rail, for the wheel to run upon.
1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. I. xxix. 402 Brooks has rigged a crab or capstan on the floe, and has passed the chain cable under the keel at four bearing-points.
1952 Pop. Sci. Jan. 217/1 The little end is then cut out and filed to shape and the big end drilled for the two bearing-cap screws.
2002 Fine Homebuilding Mar. 64 (caption) A single 2×10 provides sufficient bearing capacity for most door and window openings.
C3. † bearing arrow n. Obsolete (perhaps) a long arrow, as shot from a longbow.† bearing back n. Obsolete rare a staff or pole to which a pack or bundle is attached in order to carry it more easily.† bearing door n. Mining Obsolete a door or set of double doors used to control air circulation and regulate the ventilation in a particular area of a coal mine; also called main door.† bearing gear n. Obsolete rare a device, typically a twisted withe (withe n. 1a), passed through the collar of a horse's harness so as to form a loop, by means of which the ends of the swingletree of a plough, or the ends of the crossbar from which the pole of a wagon is suspended, are supported by a pair of horses pulling the plough or wagon; cf. slightly earlier bear gear n.† bearing leap n. Obsolete a large basket designed to be carried by two people; = bearleap n.
ΚΠ
1557 in Vicary's Anat. Bodie of Man (1888) App. iii. 177, 178 And for the best game of the bearinge arrowe, he shall haue [etc.]... And for the best game of the flight, he shall haue [etc.].
c1630 Renowned Robin Hood (single sheet) And Clifton with a baring Arrow, hee cloue the willow wand.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by carrying > [noun] > by a person > pole or staff
bot forka1350
bearing back1607
weigh1688
sastange1706
shoulder-pole1888
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 563 A bearing backe, or colt-staffe, as we say in English, whereuppon poore men carry their burdens.
bearing cloth n. now historical a piece of cloth, typically of high quality, used to wrap a baby in at baptism; (also more generally) a piece of cloth or other material used to wrap a young or newborn baby in; cf. bearing sheet n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > loose clothing > robe or gown > types of > christening robe
bearing sheet1513
bearing cloth1553
1553 E. Candish & R. Young in J. Trower Parish of St. Mary-at-hill (1878) 101 A bering clothe for Children wt a crucyfyx.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 341 If a child be lapped in a mantle or bearing-cloth made of an asse skin, it shall not be affrighted at any thing.
a1732 T. Boston Serm. & Disc. (1753) I. ii. iii. 248 Creusa in Euripides, daughter of Erichtheus King of Athens, had a bearing cloth of her own weaving for Ion.
1860 Jrnl. Brit. Archæol. Assoc. 16 339 Mr. G. R. Wright exhibited a fine piece of silver lace of butterfly pattern, three inches and a half wide, which till lately formed a portion of the trimming of a baptismal mantle, or bearing-cloth, of blue satin.
2000 Piecework Nov. 40/1 Until the middle of the eighteenth century, infants were baptized while wrapped in an elaborately embroidered ‘bearing cloth’.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > mine > [noun] > passage > ventilation passages or openings
througher1645
thirling1686
air-pit1709
horse-head1747
sollar1778
airway1800
wind-hole1802
bearing door1813
air course1814
downcast shaft1814
upcast shaft (or pit)1816
buze1823
air road1832
raggling1839
thirl1847
brattice1849
intake1849
run1849
trapdoor1849
skailing1850
return1851
wind-road1860
breakthrough1875
wind-way1875
breast1882
cross-heading1883
skail-door1883
U.C.1883
undercast1883
vent1886
furnace-drift1892
the world > matter > gas > air > fresh air > [noun] > supplying fresh air or ventilation > ventilator > ventilation opening or hole > in a mine
skail-doora1693
bearing door1813
trapdoor1849
skailing1850
weather-door1881
1813 Wallsend Colliery Jrnl. 18 June (transcription, Bud-41-4, Buddle Collection, Mining Institute) IV. 78 From the general State of the Air Course I am inclined to think that..part of the drifting can now be carried on with Candles. I therefore ordered the Stinting Stoppage bearing Doors &c. to be put up tight with a view to begin to work with Candles.
1852 Newcastle Guardian 22 May 7/2 The violence of the explosion having blown out the stopping C, and also the bearing doors at a distance of 220 yards, these workings were entirely deprived of ventilation.
1920 A. H. Fay Gloss. Mining & Mineral Industry 261/1 Fast wall, the wall in which bearing doors are placed.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > trappings, housing, or caparison
steed shrouda1300
coverturec1300
trap13..
horse-house1316
attiringa1375
trapping1398
trappera1400
saddlecloth1415
house1463
foot-cloth1480
summock1506
reparelling1513
base1548
furniture1553
coperture1555
housing-cloth1569
caparison1602
footmantlec1610
bear gear1613
horse-furniture1613
bearing gear1616
housing1698
pad-cloth1795
rumbler1849
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > general equipment > [noun] > harness of draught animal > collar > part of
hame13..
tee1494
bearing gear1616
pole piece1619
pole chain1725
afterwale1833
oxbow key1882
barge1908
1616 G. Markham tr. C. Estienne et al. Maison Rustique (rev. ed.) v. v. 533 When they [sc. horses] draw two and two together in the beare geares..then there is needfull the plow, cleuise..the harnesse, the collars, the round withs, or bearing geares.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > basket > [noun] > for carrying
bearleapc1350
bearing leapa1425
a1425 Medulla Gram. (Stonyhurst) f. 11v Canestrum, a bering lep.
bearing metal n. any of several alloys used to coat bearings (sense 13) in order to reduce friction, such as babbit metal (babbitt metal n. at babbitt n.1 1).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > types of metal generally > [noun] > metals for other specific uses
organ metal1578
string-metala1626
blade-metal1645
bearing metal1850
reglet1877
1850 Engineer & Machinist Sept. 222/2 (heading) Babbitt's Patent Bearing Metal.
1923 R. Glazebrook Dict. Appl. Physics V. ii. 233/1 The antimony-tin alloys are rarely used by themselves, but form the basis of bearing metals.
2007 P. M. Opsal in H. W. Beaty & D. G. Fink Standard Handbk. Electr. Engineers (ed. 15) 4-83 Lead bronzes are used for bearing metals for heavy duty.
bearing pile n. a heavy wooden or metal post, driven vertically into the ground to support a load; = pile n.1 3a.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > building or providing with specific parts > specific parts built or constructed > [noun] > foundation(s) > pile(s)
pilelOE
piling1422
spile1513
piloti1674
stilt1697
drift1721
bearing pile?1761
sheet-piling1789
sheeting-pile1837
screw pile1840
sheet-pile1841
sheath-piling1902
?1761 J. Grundy et al. Rep. Present State River Witham 20 The Sea Sluice..to be laid level with the low Water Mark..with a Timber Floor supported by Dovetail and bearing Piles, Bracs and Tyes.
1906 Westm. Gaz. 23 Aug. 10/1 The foundations of each pier are formed by 145 bearing-piles.
2008 B. Yan et al. in Z. Chen et al. Landslides & Engineered Slopes 1031/2 Figure 2 shows the horizontal loads, active earth press, exerted on the bearing piles.
bearing sheet n. now historical a piece of cloth, typically of high quality, used to wrap a baby in at baptism; (also more generally) a piece of cloth used to wrap a young or newborn baby in; = bearing cloth n.In historical use, chiefly with reference to the case of Richard Hunne, who in 1515, refused to give the parish priest his child's bearing sheet as a mortuary (mortuary n. 1a); see quot. 1615.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > loose clothing > robe or gown > types of > christening robe
bearing sheet1513
bearing cloth1553
1513 in D. Yaxley Researcher's Gloss. Hist. Documents E. Anglia (2003) 10 A lytyl beryngshete wt a opeyn red seme.
1615 J. Foxe Christs Victorie 152 Hvn had a Child died in his house, the Curate claiming the bearing-sheet for a Mortuary, Hun answered; The Infant had no property therein, whereupon he was cited to the Spirituall Court.
1895 B. Adams Law of Civilization & Decay vii. 159 The parson of the parish sued the father for a bearing sheet which he claimed as a mortuary.
2015 S. E. James Women's Voices in Tudor Wills, 1485–1603 vi. 275 In addition to adaptive clothing, special linens called bearing sheets or bearing cloths used both during childbirth and to carry the child at its christening were required.
bearing sword n. now historical a large, two-handed ceremonial sword, typically carried (point upright) in procession.
ΚΠ
1474 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 26 j quarter of rede crammasy vellus for the couering of the litil bering swerd.
1600 in J. Arnold Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd (1988) 327/1 Item one bearing Sworde the handle hiltes and pommell of silver guilte the skabberde garnished with like sylver guilte.
2009 H. Reinhardt Bk. Swords (e-book ed.) If the sword was inscribed, and the inscription can only be read if the blade is held point up, then it is a bearing sword.
bearing tree n. U.S. a tree that has been marked and recorded by a surveyor as a reference point for locating a corner.
ΚΠ
1817 Niles' Weekly Reg. 12 Apr. 98/2 At each corner the courses are taken to two trees, in opposite directions as nearly as may be, and their distance from the post measured. These trees are called ‘bearing trees’, and are blazed on the side next the post.
1886 C. F. Bellows & F. Hodgman Man. of Land Surv. xi. 337 In looking for a corner post, we may frequently assume..that a certain stump or a cavity where a tree had stood was the stump of or the place occupied by a bearing tree.
2007 Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News (Nexis) 3 Aug. Learn about the circular medallions embedded in the ground that mark locations, and bearing trees or witness trees with Joe Burns, cadastral surveyor.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2020; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
bearingn.2
/ˈbɛːrɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈbɛrɪŋ/ Stock Market. Now rare.
The practice of causing the price of stock to fall.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > [noun] > specific operations or arrangements > share-buying activities
subscribing1762
flyer1846
bearing1849
stagging1851
take-up1865
bear covering1881
straddle1883
portfolio investment1929
short covering1930
support buying1932
foreign portfolio investment1951
corporate raiding1957
leveraged1957
tender offer1964
buy-in1968
management buyout1977
bought deal1981
greenmail1983
MBO1986
bimbo1991
1849 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Dec. 663/1 It is curious to remark that the Stock Exchange cannot be said to have had any period of minority... All the arts of bulling and bearing, of false rumours, of expresses, combinations, squeezings—all that constitute the mystery of Mammon, were known as well to the fathers of the Alley, as they are to their remote representatives.
1986 N. Russell Novelist & Mammon i. 31 Bulling and bearing are not, or need not be, dishonest practices, but they are clearly open to abuse.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2020; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
bearingadj.1
/ˈbɛːrɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈbɛrɪŋ/ 1.
a. That produces or yields fruit, a crop, etc.; (also) that gives birth to offspring, or is able to do so. Often (and in later use chiefly) as the second element in compounds. Also figurative.coal-bearing, fruit-bearing, livebearing, seed-bearing, etc.: see the first element. See also childbearing adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by growth or development > [adjective] > sprouting or germinating
bearingOE
burgeoninga1382
burging1398
springingc1400
sprouting1531
upstarting1581
sprigging1583
teeming1642
germinating1657
fruticant1670
shooting1717
chipping1743
the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > [adjective]
bearingOE
genderinga1398
multiplyinga1400
fecundc1420
broodya1522
fruitful1526
breeding1552
procreant1588
procreative1598
increasing1600
broodious1602
prolifical1608
conceptiousa1616
plenteousa1616
conceptive1630
feracious1637
propagatory1647
prolific1650
proliferous1654
propagative1654
progenial1664
teemful1755
progenitive1769
breedy1824
proligerous1836
progenital1837
philoprogenitive1857
eugenesic1864
OE (Northumbrian) Liturgical Texts (Durham Ritual) in A. H. Thompson & U. Lindelöf Rituale Ecclesiae Dunelmensis (1927) 98 Deus qui hanc arbore[m] pomiferam tua iussione et prouidentia progenitam esse uoluisti : god ðu ðe ðassum tree æppilberende ðinum hæse & foresceaunge uæxende uosa..þætte ðu waldest.
OE Antwerp-London Gloss. (2011) 87 Germen, berende boh.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Psalms li. 10 As an olive berende frut.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. cxvii. 1015 Þikke settynge of knottis is tokene of a good vyne and berynge.
1467 in T. Thomson Acts Lords Auditors (1839) 7/1 Twa berand meris, twa ȝong hors, & twa folis.
1546 Acta Dominorum Concilii et Sessionis XXII. f. 155 in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Berand Twa bearand apill treis, ane of the gret apill callit apill sinclare.
a1687 W. Petty Polit. Anat. Ireland (1691) 53 A Cow continues Milch and bearing, from 3 or 4 years old to 12.
1754 W. Ellis Compl. Cyderman iv. 61 The Grafts should be taken off the best bearing Wood of a Tree, and laid in the Ground some Time before they are used.
1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus ii. vi. 55/2 The Future is wholly a Stygian Darkness, spectre-bearing.
1910 Indian Forest Mem. 1 iii. 38 The lac trees are leased to contractors who employ labourers to cut the lac-bearing twigs before the larvae swarm.
2001 Steller Sea Lion Protection Meas. (U.S. Dept. Commerce) III. 240 Increases in average age of pup-bearing females in the endangered western stock could affect average pup sizes.
b. Of land: fertile, productive; cultivated. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > productiveness > [adjective]
bearinglOE
fruitfula1300
plenteousc1325
fructuousa1382
birthful?c1475
fertile1481
broodya1522
yielding1556
foisonous1570
procreant1588
generative1597
yieldy1598
childing1600
seedful1605
thankful1610
foisonable1613
prolifical1615
fecundous1630
feracious1637
prolific1653
fetiferous1654
floriferous1656
productive1672
fœtant1678
spawning1682
uberousa1706
populous?1789
productible1830
grateful1832
resultful1833
genetic1838
tumid1840
polyphorous1858
generant1875
proliferent1920
the world > the earth > land > landscape > fertile land or place > [adjective]
goodOE
bearinglOE
freshc1325
fat1393
plentive?a1400
fertilec1460
richa1522
fructual1528
batwell1534
battle?1542
battling1548
increaseful1594
uberousa1627
exuberanta1660
generous1661
productive1672
innerly1868
oasal1888
oasitic1896
lOE Canterbury Psalter lxvii. 16 Montem dei montem uberem, mons coagulatus : ðun godes ðun berende uel nihtsum dun gerenned uel runnen.
c1450 tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Bodl. Add.) i. l. 28 Eke se thi lande Be bering [?1440 Duke Humfrey fertile; L. fecunda], and commodiously stande.
1664 ‘Philomathes’ New Prognostication sig. A4 Sow barley in all light lands, and bearing grounds.
1882 S. Baildon Tea Industry in India iv. 48 I know of Rs. 1,300 per acre having been refused for above a thousand bearing acres four years ago; but probably no such price would be obtainable now.
1994 K. Kearns Robert Frost & Poetics of Appetite (2009) iv. 114 It reveals an appetite for good, bearing land..and the perceived obligation to keep it cultivated.
2.
a. That bears a person or thing (in various other senses of bear v.1). Now chiefly: that supports or upholds (something) physically. Now somewhat rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > domestic animal > [adjective] > labouring > that bears a burden
bearingOE
sumptery1546
veterine1656
burden-bearing1793
weight-carrying1883
the world > space > relative position > support > [adjective] > supporting
bearingOE
portativea1500
supporting1591
shoring1622
stutted1638
supportive1665
firmamental1696
sustinent1704
support1778
sustaining1814
self-supporting1832
the world > movement > transference > [adjective] > relating to conveying or transporting > carrying
bearingOE
gerent1656
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > [adjective] > piercing
bearingOE
stickinga1250
thirlingc1380
piercinga1400
lancentc1400
prunyeand1533
broaching1566
empiercing1604
pouncing1798
cleaving1819
intrenchant1833
probing1868
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > force > [adjective] > of or relating to pressure > exerting pressure
bearingOE
incumbent1660
gravitating1719
pressive1834
the world > movement > transference > [adjective] > relating to conveying or transporting > conveying as a channel or medium
deferent1626
carrying1628
bearing1642
convective1859
the mind > emotion > calmness > patience > [adjective]
thildia950
tholemodec1000
tholeburdea1050
tholing1340
patientc1350
unmurmuring1594
digestive1609
bearing1702
plaintless1729
uncomplaining1744
OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Luke ii. 5 Ut profiteretur cum Maria desponsata sibi uxore praegnate : þætte foreondete were mið befæstad him wif berende.
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 18v (MED) Afterward bene þe spermatic vesselez comyng fro þe aboue seid, which bene double, i. dilatorie i. beryng, & expulsorie i. puttyng out. Beryng [L. portantia] bene þe veyne & þe arterie which bene seid for to springe of vena kily & aborchi.
a1500 (?a1400) Firumbras (1935) l. 1658 (MED) Duk terry..kest hym on a mule ful softe beryng.
1551 R. Robinson tr. T. More Vtopia sig. Rviii Drawyng and bearyng beastes.
1642 J. Howell Instr. Forreine Travell xiii. 168 Large and bearing streames.
1702 W. Penn in Mem. Hist. Soc. Pennsylvania (1870) IX. 162 Be as bearing as you can with hasty and fretful tempers.
1850 J. Leitch tr. K. O. Müller Ancient Art (new ed.) § 275. 305 The architectural members..are divided into bearing, borne, and intermediate. Among the bearing the column is the form naturally suggested.
1915 Amer. Jrnl. Sci. 189 463 Since ice is of less density than water, it would follow that the stable condition under pressure would be such that the load was carried by the water, and that the water be of minimum volume and maximum bearing surface.
2013 F. J. Zhang et al. in J. Wu et al. Resources & Sustainable Devel. ii. 607 The outer bearing structure, the main supporting structure, bears most rock stress and protects the inner bearing structure.
b. As the second element in compounds.arms-bearing, errand-bearing, image-bearing, rain-bearing, sail-bearing, weight-bearing, etc.: see the first element.
ΚΠ
eOE Cleopatra Gloss. in J. J. Quinn Minor Lat.-Old Eng. Glossaries in MS Cotton Cleopatra A.III (Ph.D. diss., Stanford Univ.) (1956) 186 Aliger, fiðerberende.
OE Blickling Homilies 3 Deofol þonne þurh þa attorberendan næddran..beswac þone ærestan wifmon.
a1425 (a1382) Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Corpus Oxf.) (1850) Josh. Prol. 556 We..owen to ouerpasse with a deef eer the deth berynge [a1425 L.V. dedliche] songis of mermynns.
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 323 The Epethits of a swifte running corser are these, winged or wing-bearing.
1689 W. Salmon tr. Y. van Diemerbroeck Anat. Human Bodies sig. a2/2 The Ampulla, or upper Part of the Chyle-bearing Bag, conspicuous in the Thorax, near the untouched Diaphragma.
1708 J. Philips Cyder i. 27 Slow house-bearing snails, that creep O'er the ripe fruitage.
1887 Littell's Living Age 174 58/2 The English homing pigeon. or ‘carrier’..is best adapted for message-bearing purposes.
2004 Independent 11 Nov. 36/1 Casino owners..have long objected to the small band of placard-bearing preachers who march the pavements.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > consistency of food > [adjective] > solid or substantial
bearinga1625
solid1685
a1625 J. Fletcher Women Pleas'd i. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ddddddv/2 A good bearing dinner.
1633 P. Massinger New Way to pay Old Debts v. i. sig. L3v You shall be stuff'd like baggepipes, not with wind But bearing dishes.
Compounds
bearing plate n. a plate, typically made of metal, which transfers and redistributes the weight of a component or structural element.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > other parts > [noun] > other specific parts
armOE
button?1561
running gear1663
relax1676
collar1678
drumhead1698
long arm1717
drum1744
press cloth1745
head1785
absorber1789
bearing plate1794
crown1796
rhodings1805
press box1825
alternator1829
cushion1832
saw tooth1835
shoe1837
keyboard1839
returner1839
cross-head1844
channel shoe1845
baster1846
water port1864
shifter1869
magazine1873
entry port1874
upsetter1875
mechanism1876
tapper1876
tension bar1879
buttonholer1882
take-up1884
auger1886
instrument panel1897
balancer1904
torsion bar1937
powerhead1960
1794 W. Felton Treat. Carriages I. v. 116 A small bearing plate is necessary on the centre of each bed.
1921 Pop. Mech. May 781/1 The bearing housing of the motor should fit down tight on a felt washer resting on the bearing plate.
2010 J. S. Mundrey Railway Track Engin. (ed. 4) v. 125 These bearing plates are only used in turn-outs tracks.
bearing rein n. a short rein passing from the bit of a carriage horse to the pad of its harness via the bridle headpiece, intended to keep the horse's head up and its neck arched; (also figurative) a check or restraint.The use of bearing reins has long been considered detrimental to horses' welfare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > reins
rein1297
bridle reina1382
bridea1425
linkc1450
leading-rein1483
quinsell1598
bearing rein1790
bridoon rein1795
check-reina1809
ribbon1813
ribands1815
bit-rein1833
check-piece1833
nose-rein1844
lines1852
reinage1863
check1868
overdraw1870
single line1875
overcheck1963
1790 Whitehall Evening Post 28–30 Sept. As soon as the bearing-rein was loosened, the bridle..slipped off.
1839 S. Smith Wks. (1859) I. Pref. 8 Lord Grey had not then taken off the bearing-rein from the English people.
1877 A. Sewell Black Beauty xlvi. 231 A great many gentlemen do not use bearing reins now; our carriage horses have not worn them for fifteen years, and work with much less fatigue than those who have them.
2007 M2 PressWIRE (Nexis) 8 June The use of bearing reins (straps that prevent a horse stretching or lowering its head) can stop the animal breathing properly and looking from side to side.
bearing wall n. Architecture and Building a wall which supports the weight of the structure above it; a load-bearing wall.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > wall of building > [noun] > other specific types of wall
firewall?1666
truss-partition1823
bearing wall1833
sleeper wall1845
curtain wall1859
fender wall1894
cavity wall1910
apron wall1934
storage wall1945
spine wall1949
curtain walling1958
sleeper walling1971
Trombe1978
1833 Caledonian Mercury 17 Aug. He could not be stopped, so as he..made his bearing walls sufficient.
1914 Archit. Rec. Feb. 142/2 Terra cotta hollow tile was employed in the exterior and interior bearing walls.
2003 New Yorker 31 Mar. 49/3 The place has no interior bearing walls, and..all floors will be open space from end to end.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2020; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
† bearingadj.2
Stock Market. Obsolete.
Desirous of or expecting a fall in the price of stock; causing the price of stock to fall.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > [adjective] > types of dealer
stagging1845
short1849
weak1875
bearing1883
ursine1899
knifey1937
over-bullish1970
1883 York Herald 25 June 7/4 Manufacturers are everywhere undersold by bearing speculators.
1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 7 Aug. 5/1 The shrewd men who are so..anxious to put money in the pockets of the bulling or bearing public.
1892 Emporia (Kansas) Daily Gaz. 16 Jan. The bearing traders have shown considerable activity in attacking prices.
1897 Daily News 26 Apr. 5/4 ‘Bearing’ influences are encouraged, and those whose interest is in forcing down prices are very active in that direction.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2020; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.1c1275
n.21849
adj.1eOE
adj.21883