bearing

noun Date: 13th century 1. the manner in which one bears or comports oneself 2. a. the act, power, or time of bringing forth offspring or fruit b. a product of bearing ; crop 3. a. an object, surface, or point that supports b. a machine part in which another part (as a journal or pin) turns or slides 4. a figure borne on a heraldic field 5. pressure, thrust 6. a. the situation or horizontal direction of one point with respect to another or to the compass b. a determination of position c. plural comprehension of one's position, environment, or situation d. relation, connection; also purport 7. the part of a structural member that rests on its supports Synonyms: bearing, deportment, demeanor, mien, manner, carriage mean the outward manifestation of personality or attitude. bearing is the most general of these words but now usually implies characteristic posture <

a woman of regal bearing

>. deportment suggests actions or behavior as formed by breeding or training <

your deportment was atrocious

>. demeanor suggests one's attitude toward others as expressed in outward behavior <

the haughty demeanor of the headwaiter

>. mien is a literary term referring both to bearing and demeanor <

a mien of supreme self-satisfaction

>. manner implies characteristic or customary way of moving and gesturing and addressing others <

the imperious manner of a man used to giving orders

>. carriage applies chiefly to habitual posture in standing or walking <

the kind of carriage learned at boarding school

>.