homing

homing
/hoh"ming/, adj.
1. capable of returning home, usually over a great distance: We saw the homing birds at dusk.
2. guiding or directing homeward or to a destination, esp. by mechanical means: the homing instinct; a homing beacon.
[1860-65; HOME + -ING2]

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      ability of certain animals to return to a given place when displaced from it, often over great distances. The major navigational clues used by homing animals seem to be the same as those used in migration (sun angle, star patterns, etc.), but homing may occur in any compass direction and at any season. The best-known examples of strong homing ability are among birds, particularly racing, or homing, pigeons; many other birds, especially seabirds and also swallows, are known to have equal or better homing abilities. A Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus), transported in a closed container to a point about 5,500 km (3,400 miles) from its nest, returned to the nest in 12 1/2 days.

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Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Homing — is the process of determining the location of the source of a transmission. A beacon that transmits a signal for the purpose of being homed is called a homing beacon or, simply, a homer. See also distress radiobeacon.More specifically, it may… …   Wikipedia

  • Homing — Hom ing (h[=o]m [i^]ng), p. a. Home returning; used specifically of carrier pigeons. [1913 Webster] {Homing pigeon}, any pigeon trained to return home from a distance. Also called {carrier pigeon}. Most are bred from the domestic pigeon {Columba… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Homing — bezeichnet: Homing (Luftfahrt), funknavigatorisches Zielanflugverfahren in der Luftfahrt Homing (Biologie), Rückkehr immunkompetenter Immunzellen in der Immunologie Homing (Lebensart), Lebensart mit dem eigenen Zuhause als sozialem… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • homing — [ omiŋ] n. m. ÉTYM. 1954, Larousse mensuel; mot angl., p. prés. de to home, de home. → Home. ❖ ♦ Anglic. Techn. Navigation maritime ou aérienne effectuée en se dirigeant sur un radiophare. Équivalent franç. : radioralliement. || « Téléphone sous… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • homing — action of going home, 1765, in reference to pigeons, from prp. of HOME (Cf. home) (v.). Homing pigeon attested by 1868 …   Etymology dictionary

  • homing — homing. См. хоминг. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • homing — ► ADJECTIVE 1) (of a pigeon or other animal) able to return home from a great distance. 2) (of a weapon) able to find and hit a target electronically …   English terms dictionary

  • homing — [hōm′iŋ] adj. 1. going home; homeward bound 2. having to do with guidance to a goal, target, etc …   English World dictionary

  • homing — [[t]ho͟ʊmɪŋ[/t]] 1) ADJ: ADJ n A weapon or piece of equipment that has a homing system is able to guide itself to a target or to give out a signal that guides people to it. ...infra red homing missiles... All the royal cars are fitted with… …   English dictionary

  • homing — hom|ing [ houmıŋ ] adjective used for describing equipment that is able to find a particular place or object homing instinct if an animal or bird has a homing instinct, it is able to find its way home across long distances …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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