to take the bearings
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To ascertain the relative position of some object. Bearnais, Le. Henry IV of France (1553-1610); so called from Le Beam, his native province.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to take the bearings” mean?
To ascertain the relative position of some object. Bearnais, Le. Henry IV of France (1553-1610); so called from Le Beam, his native province.
Is “to take the bearings” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.