Collins English-English Dictionary

bearing ['bεərɪŋ]

1. 1. n a support, guide, or locating piece for a rotating or reciprocating mechanical part

2. 2. n [foll by on or upon] relevance (to)

   it has no bearing on this problem

3. 3. n a person's general social conduct, esp in manners, dress, and behaviour

4. 4. n the act, period, or capability of producing fruit or young

5. 5. n an amount produced; yield

6. 6. n the part of a beam or lintel that rests on a support

7. 7. n anything that carries weight or acts as a support

8. 8. n the angular direction of a line, point, or course measured from true north or south (true bearing), magnetic north or south (magnetic bearing), or one's own position

9. 9. n [usually plural] the position or direction, as of a ship, fixed with reference to two or more known points

10. 10. n [usually plural] a sense of one's relative position or situation; orientation (esp in the phrases lose, get, or take one's bearings)

11. 11. n [heraldry] a device or emblem on a heraldic shield; charge

12. 12. n another name for coat of arms