bearing
n. C / Un. the way you stand or move your body, or how one thing relates to another. It can also mean knowing where you are or which way to go.
n. the manner in which a person carries themselves; also, the relevance or influence of one thing upon another. In navigation, it refers to the direction or position of an object relative to a fixed point.
His confident bearing made him look like a natural leader.
The new evidence has a direct bearing on the outcome of the court case.
After the thick fog rolled in, the hikers lost their bearing and had to rely entirely on their compass to find the trail.
From Middle English beringe, berynge, berende, berande, berand, from Old English berende (“bearing; fruitful”) (also as synonym Old English bǣrende), from Proto-Germanic berandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic beraną (“to bear; carry”), equivalent to bear + -ing.
From Middle English bering, beringe, berynge, equivalent to bear + -ing.
Often used in the plural ('bearings') when referring to navigation or orientation. When meaning 'relevance', it is typically followed by the preposition 'on'.
this has no bearing to the casethis has no bearing on the caseWhen expressing relevance or influence, the noun takes the preposition 'on' rather than 'to'.