bearing

American Heritage Dictionary:

bear·ing

(bâr'ĭng)

The manner in which one carries or conducts oneself: the poise and bearing of a champion.
1. A machine or structural part that supports another part.
2. A device that supports, guides, and reduces the friction of motion between fixed and moving machine parts.
Something that supports weight.
The part of an arch or beam that rests on a support.
1. The act, power, or period of producing fruit or offspring.
2. The quantity produced; yield.
Direction, especially angular direction measured from one position to another using geographical or celestial reference lines.
Awareness of one's position or situation relative to one's surroundings. Often used in the plural: lost my bearings after taking the wrong exit.
Relevant relationship or interconnection: Those issues have no bearing on our situation.
Heraldry. A charge or device on a field.

adj.
Architecture. Designed to support structural weight: a bearing wall.

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bearing

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In machine construction, a connector (usually a support) that permits the connected members to rotate or to move in a straight line relative to one another. Often one of the members is fixed, and the bearing acts as a support for the moving member. Most bearings support rotating shafts against either transverse (radial) or thrust (axial) loads. To minimize friction, the contacting surfaces in a bearing may be separated by a film of oil or gas; these are sliding bearings (see oil seal). In ball bearings and roller bearings, the surfaces are separated by balls or rollers.

For more information on bearing, visit Britannica.com.

Roget's Thesaurus:

bearing

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noun

Behavior through which one reveals one's personality: address, air, demeanor, manner, mien, presence, style. Archaic port. See be, style/good style/bad style.
The compass direction in which a ship or an aircraft moves: course, heading, vector. See approach/retreat.
One's place and direction relative to one's surroundings. location, orientation, position, situation. See place.
The fact of being related to the matter at hand: applicability, application, appositeness, concernment, germaneness, materiality, pertinence, pertinency, relevance, relevancy. See relevant/irrelevant.

Antonyms by Answers.com:

bearing

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Definition: significance
Antonyms: insignificance, irrelevance

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture & Construction:

bearing

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1. A bearer.
2. That portion of a beam, truss, or other structural member which rests on the supports.
3. The support for a shaft, axle, or trunnion.
4. In surveying, the horizontal angle between a line and a reference meridian adjacent to the quadrant in which the line lies.

bearing, 4

Columbia Encyclopedia:

bearing

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bearing, machine part designed to reduce friction between moving parts or to support moving loads. There are two main kinds of bearings: the antifriction type, such as the roller bearing and the ball bearing, operating on the principle of rolling friction; and the plain, or sliding, type, such as the journal bearing and the thrust bearing, employing the principle of sliding friction. Roller bearings are either cylindrical or tapered (conical), depending upon the application; they overcome frictional resistance by a rolling contact and are suited to large, heavy assemblies. Ball bearings are usually found in light precision machinery where high speeds are maintained, friction being reduced by the rolling action of the hard steel balls. In both types the balls or rollers are caged in an angular grooved track, called a race, and the bearings are held in place by a frame, commonly called a pillow block or plummer block. Ball bearings or roller bearings reduce friction more than sliding bearings do. Other advantages of antifriction bearings include ability to operate at high speeds and easy lubrication.

A journal bearing usually consists of a split cylindrical shell of hard, strong metal held in a rigid support and an inner cylindrical part of soft metal, which holds a rotating shaft, or journal. A self-aligning journal bearing has a spherically shaped support that turns in a socket to adjust to movements of the shaft. Slight misalignment of the shaft can be accommodated in the ordinary journal bearing by wearing of the soft bearing material, often an alloy of tin or lead. Less frequently used are aluminum alloys, steel, cast iron, or a thin layer of silver covered with a thin coating of a soft bearing material. Ideally, a film of lubricant, normally oil, separates journal and bearing so that contact is prevented (see lubrication). Bearings that are not split are called bushings.

A thrust bearing supports an axial load on a shaft, i.e., a force directed along a shaft's length. It may be a plate at the end of a shaft or a plate against which the collar on the shaft pushes. Large thrust bearings, such as those used to transmit the motive force of a ship's propeller from the shaft to the hull, have blocks that are separated from the collar on the shaft by wedge-shaped spaces filled with oil. Graphite bearings are used in high-temperature situations. Certain plastics make satisfactory self-lubricating bearings for low speeds and light loads and, if additionally lubricated, work at higher speeds and carry greater loads. Rubber and a naturally oily wood, lignum vitae, are used in water-lubricated bearings. Watches and other precision instruments have glass or sapphire pivot bearings. In gas-lubricated bearings a film of gas separates the bearings from the moving machine parts. Magnetic bearings employ magnetic repulsion to separate journal from bearing, reducing friction still further.

US Defense Department Military Dictionary:

bearing

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(DOD) The horizontal angle at a given point measured clockwise from a specific datum point to a second point. See also grid bearing; relative bearing; true bearing.

Word Tutor:

bearing

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IN BRIEF: Carrying.

They arrived bearing extravagant gifts for their first grandchild.

Tutor's tip: While "baring" (uncovering) his bald head for the crown, his "bearing" (conduct or deportment) was regal.

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Aviation:

bearing

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i. The horizontal angle at a given point measured clockwise from a specific reference datum to a second point. The bearing can be true, magnetic, relative, or grid, depending on the selected datum.

Picture 1 of bearing

ii. A surface that supports and reduces friction between two moving points.

Spherical roller thrust bearing.

Spherical roller thrust bearing.

Saunders Veterinary Dictionary:

bearing

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1. the female genital tract.
2. a piece of harness.

lose the b. — uterine prolapse.
b. retainer — device for retaining a replaced uterine or vaginal prolapse.
b. trouble — see vaginal prolapse.

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'bearing'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier

For a list of words related to bearing, see:

Aspects and Components of Appearance - bearing: manner in which one stands, moves, and acts
Space Exploration and Rocketry - bearing: horizontal direction of object or point measured clockwise from reference line
Machinery and Mechanical Devices - bearing: machine part in or on which another part revolves or slides
Building and Machine Parts - bearing: sliding or turning machine part; point of support
Hardware and Supplies - bearing: supporting and guiding part of machine, in which another part moves smoothly
Aviation and Aerodynamics - bearing: horizontal direction to or from any point, measured in degrees clockwise from true north
Working Parts - bearing: part, such as wheel bearing, on which another part revolves
Seamanship and Port - bearing: navigational term indicating direction of one point with reference to another
Dimensions and Directions - bearing: horizontal direction of one point measured in degrees from another point

Rhymes:

bearing

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See words rhyming with "bearing."

Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary:

bearing

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See crossword solutions for the clue Bearing.

Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Bearing (navigation)

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A standard Brunton Geo compass, used commonly by geologists and surveyors to obtain a bearing in the field.

In marine navigation, a bearing is the direction one object is from another object, usually, the direction of an object from one's own vessel. In aircraft navigation, a bearing is the actual (corrected) compass direction of the forward course of the aircraft. In land navigation, a bearing is the angle between a line connecting two points and a north-south line, or meridian.^[1] Bearings can be measured in two systems, Mils and Degrees.

Contents

1 Historical definitions
- 1.1 US Army Definition Of Bearing
2 Use of bearings
3 Types of bearings
4 Bearing measurement
- 4.1 Usage
5 Notes
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Historical definitions

US Army Definition Of Bearing

The US Army defines the bearing from Point A to Point B as the angle between: either a north, south, east, or west ray, whose origin is Point A and Ray AB, the ray whose origin is Point A and which contains Point B. The bearing consists of 2 characters and 1 number: first, the character representing the reference ray (N, or S); followed by the angle value; and finally the character representing the direction of the angle from the reference ray (E, or W). The angle value will always be less than 90 degrees.^[2]^[3] For example, if Point B is located exactly southeast of Point A, the bearing from Point A to Point B is S 45° E.^[3]

The US Army defines the azimuth between Point A and Point B as the angle, measured in the clockwise direction, between the north reference ray and Ray AB. For example, if the bearing between Point A and Point B is E 45° S, the azimuth between Point A and Point B is 135°.^[2]^[3]

The angle value in a bearing can be specified in the units of degrees, mils, or grad. An azimuth is specified in the same angle units.^[4]

Use of bearings

Determining a position

A bearing is basically the position of A with respect to B and which is their angle with respect to north so the angle with B plus the angle with north is bearing.

Piloting

A bearing can be taken on another vessel to aid piloting. If the two vessels are traveling toward each other and the relative bearing remains the same over time, there is likelihood of collision and action needs to be taken by one or both vessels to prevent this.

Warfare

A bearing can be taken to a fixed or moving object in order to target it with gunfire or missiles. This is mainly used by ground troops when using an air-strike on the target.

Search and rescue

A bearing can be taken to a person or vessel in distress in order to go to their aid or, when that is not possible, to report the person or vessel to authorities or someone who can go to their aid.

Types of bearings

Types of bearings include:

true bearings
magnetic bearings
grid bearings

compass bearings
relative bearings.

A true bearing is measured in relation to the fixed horizontal reference plane of true north, that is, using the direction toward the geographic north pole as a reference point.

A magnetic bearing is measured in relation to magnetic north, that is, using the direction toward the magnetic north pole (in northeastern Canada) as a reference.

A grid bearing is measured in relation to the fixed horizontal reference plane of grid north, that is, using the direction northwards along the grid lines of the map projection as a reference point.

A compass bearing, as in vehicle or marine navigation, is measured in relation to the magnetic compass of the navigator's vehicle or vessel (if aboard ship). It should be very close to the magnetic bearing. The difference between a magnetic bearing and a compass bearing is the deviation caused to the compass by ferrous metals and local magnetic fields generated by any variety of vehicle or shipboard sources (steel vehicle bodies/frames or vessel hulls, ignition systems, etc.)

A relative bearing is one in which the reference direction is straight ahead, where the bearing is measured relative to the direction the navigator is facing (on land) or in relation to the vessel's bow (aboard ship).

Bearing measurement

There are several methods used to measure navigation bearings:

1. In land navigation, a bearing is ordinarily calculated in a clockwise direction starting from a reference direction of 0° and increasing to 359.9 degrees.^[5] Measured in this way, a bearing is referred to as an azimuth by the US Army but not by armies in other English speaking nations, which use the term bearing.^[6] If the reference direction is north (either true north, magnetic north, or grid north), the bearing is termed an absolute bearing. In a contemporary land navigation context, true, magnetic, and grid bearings are always measured in this way, with true north, magnetic north, or grid north being 0° in a 360-degree system.^[5]

2. In aircraft navigation, an angle is normally measured from the aircraft's track or heading, in a clockwise direction. If the aircraft encounters a target that is not ahead of the aircraft and not on an identical track, then the angular bearing to that target is called a relative bearing. (needs clarification: track and heading are not usually the same number due to wind)

3. In marine navigation, starboard bearings are 'green' and port bearings are 'red'. Thus, in ship navigation, a target directly off the starboard side would be 'Green090' or 'G090'.^[7] This method is only used for a relative bearing. A navigator on watch does not always have a corrected compass available with which to give an accurate bearing. If available, the bearing might not be numerate. Therefore, every forty-five degrees of direction from north on the compass was divided into four 'points'. Thus, 32 points of 11.25° each makes a circle of 360°. An object at 022.5° relative would be 'two points off the starboard bow', an object at 101.25° relative would be 'one point abaft the starboard beam' and an object at 213.75° relative would be 'three points on the port quarter'. This method is only used for a relative bearing.

4. An informal method of measuring a relative bearing is by using the 'clock method'. In this method, the direction a vessel, aircraft or object is measured as if a clock face is laid over the vessel or aircraft, with the number twelve pointing forward. Something straight ahead is at 'twelve o'clock', while something directly off to the right is at 'three o'clock'. This method is only used for a relative bearing.

5. In land surveying, a bearing is the clockwise or counterclockwise angle between north or south and a direction. For example, bearings are recorded as N57°E, S51°E, S21°W, N87°W, or N15°W. In surveying, bearings can be referenced to true north, magnetic north, grid north (the Y axis of a map projection), or a previous map, which is often a historical magnetic north.

Usage

If navigating by gyrocompass, the reference direction is true north, in which case the terms true bearing and geodetic bearing are used. In stellar navigation, the reference direction is that of the North Star, Polaris.

Generalizing this to two angular dimensions, a bearing is the combination of antenna azimuth and elevation required to point (aim) an antenna in a given direction. The bearing for geostationary satellites is constant. The bearing for polar-orbiting satellites varies continuously.

Moving from A to B along a great circle can be considered as always going in the same direction (the direction of B), but not in the sense of keeping the same bearing, which applies when following a rhumb line. Accordingly, the direction at A of B, expressed as a bearing, is not in general the opposite of the direction at B of A (when traveling on the great circle formed by A and B). For example, assume A and B in the northern hemisphere have the same latitude, and at A the direction to B is eastnortheast. Then going from A to B, one arrives at B with the direction eastsoutheast, and conversely, the direction at B of A is westnorthwest.

Notes

^ Rutstrum, Carl, The Wilderness Route Finder, University of Minnesota Press (2000), ISBN 0816636613, p. 194
^ ^a ^b U.S. Army, (17 September 1941), pp. 24-25
^ ^a ^b ^c U.S. Army, Map Reading and Land Navigation, FM 21-26, Headquarters, Dept. of the Army, Washington, D.C. (28 March 1956), ch. 3, pp. 69-70
^ U.S. Army, Advanced Map and Aerial Photograph Reading, Headquarters, War Department, Washington, D.C. (17 September 1941), pp. 24-25
^ ^a ^b Keay, pp. 133-134
^ U.S. Army, Map Reading and Land Navigation, FM 21-26, Headquarters, Dept. of the Army, Washington, D.C. (7 May 1993), ch. 6, p. 2
^ This method is used by the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy in accordance with the Admiralty Manual of Navigation, BR45.

References

Keay, Wally, Land Navigation: Routefinding with Map & Compass, Coventry, UK: Clifford Press Ltd. (1995), ISBN 0319008452, 978-0319008454
Rutstrum, Carl, The Wilderness Route Finder, University of Minnesota Press (2000), ISBN 0816636613
U.S. Army, Advanced Map and Aerial Photograph Reading, Headquarters, War Department, Washington, D.C. (17 September 1941)
U.S. Army, Map Reading and Land Navigation, FM 21-26, Headquarters, Dept. of the Army, Washington, D.C. (28 March 1956)
U.S. Army, Map Reading and Land Navigation, FM 21-26, Headquarters, Dept. of the Army, Washington, D.C. (7 May 1993)

External links

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Translations:

Bearing

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - kropsholdning, adfærd

idioms:

bearing up det at holde humøret oppe
beyond bearing ikke til at holde ud
get one's bearings miste orienteringen, fare vild
to have a bearing on have indflydelse på, have indvirkning på

Nederlands (Dutch)
houding, draagwijdte, belang, relatieve positie, relevantie, peiling, wapenbeeld, kussenblok, ondersteuning, het (ver) dragen, het voortbrengen, stellingname

Français (French)
n. - maintien, port, allure, relation, rapport, (Naut) position, (Tech) palier, contenant du

idioms:

bearing up tenir le coup, résister
beyond bearing (être) absolument insupportable
get one's bearings s'orienter, se repérer
to have a bearing on avoir un rapport avec le sujet

Deutsch (German)
n. - Verhalten, Haltung, Bedeutung, Ertragen, Bezug, (mech.) Lager, Position

idioms:

bearing up durchhalten
beyond bearing unerträglich
get one's bearings sich orientieren
to have a bearing on für etwas relevant sein

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - παρουσιαστικό, εμφάνιση, σωματική διάπλαση, παράστημα, σχέση, σημασία, συμπεριφορά, διαγωγή, αντοχή, (μηχαν.) ρουλεμάν, (μτφ.) τεκνοποιία, καρποφορία, (γεωγρ.), (μαθημ.) σχετική θέση, διόπτευση, αντιστοιχία, (αρχιτ.) βάθρο, υποστήριγμα, έδρανο, φέρουσα επιφάνεια, έμβλημα θυρεού

idioms:

bearing up αντέχω
beyond bearing που δεν υποφέρεται με τίποτα
get one's bearings προσανατολίζομαι
to have a bearing on έχω σχέση με

Italiano (Italian)
portata, atteggiamento

idioms:

bearing up rilevante
beyond bearing insopportabile, insopportabilmente
get/find one's bearings orientarsi
lose one's bearings sbagliare strada
to have a bearing on riguardante

Português (Portuguese)
n. - atitude (f), rumo (m), paciência (f), transporte (m), rolamento (m) (Mec.)

idioms:

bearing up mostrar coragem durante uma hora difícil
beyond bearing além das forças
get/find one's bearings orientar-se
lose one's bearings perder-se
to have a bearing on ter conformidade com

Русский (Russian)
манера поведения, важность, значение, подшипник

idioms:

bearing up не поддается
beyond bearing невыносимый, невыносимо
get/find one's bearings сориентироваться
lose one's bearings растеряться
to have a bearing on имеет прямое отношение

Español (Spanish)
n. - transporte, soporte, cojinete, envergadura, alcance, importancia, conducta, porte

idioms:

bearing up sentirse mejor
beyond bearing inaguantable, insoportable, insufrible, intolerable
get one's bearings orientarse
to have a bearing on tener cartas en el asunto

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - hållning, uppträdande, lager (tekn.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
举止, 忍受, 轴承

idioms:

bearing up 承受, 支持
beyond bearing 难以忍受, 受不了
get one's bearings 定位, 了解自己的处境
to have a bearing on 有关系, 有关联

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 舉止, 忍受, 軸承

idioms:

bearing up 承受, 支持
beyond bearing 難以忍受, 受不了
get one's bearings 定位, 了解自己的處境
to have a bearing on 有關係, 有關聯

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 태도, 관계, 방위

idioms:

beyond bearing 도저히 참을 수 없다
get one's bearings 자기의 위치를 확인하다
to have a bearing on 관계가 있는

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 態度, 圧力, 方位, 関係, 意味, 軸受, ベアリング, 紋章, 忍耐, 出産

idioms:

bearing up 支えること
beyond bearing 我慢ができない
get/find one's bearings 自分の立場がわかる
to have a bearing on と関係がある

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) سلوك, تصرفات, مطهر, هيئه, نسبه, علاقه, ارتباط, اتجاه, الحمل, كرسي, وسادة, محمل, وجه, انجاب, ولادة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮התנהגות, הופעה, קשר, יחס, התייחסות, השלכה, כיוון, מיסב, התמצאות, יכולת-סבל‬

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		American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
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		McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture & Construction. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more
		US Defense Department Military Dictionary. US Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Words, 2003. Read more
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		Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Bearing (navigation). Read more
		Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more

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