self-bearing
|self-bear-ing|
🇺🇸
/sɛlfˈbɛrɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/sɛlfˈbeərɪŋ/
carrying oneself; self-supporting
Etymology
'self-bearing' originates from English, specifically a compound of Old English 'self' and the present participle 'bearing' (from Old English 'beran'), where 'self' meant 'oneself' and 'beran' meant 'to carry.'
'bearing' developed from Old English 'berende' (present participle of 'beran'), which comes from Proto-Germanic '*beraną' meaning 'to carry'; 'self' has existed in Old English as 'self' with the sense of 'one's own', and the compound 'self-bearing' formed in post-medieval/Modern English by combining these elements to describe either a manner of carrying oneself or the quality of carrying/holding itself.
Initially the components described 'carrying oneself' or 'carrying something'; over time the compound came to be used figuratively for a composed, dignified manner and literally for things that can support themselves.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
having a composed, confident, or dignified manner; self-possessed.
She remained self-bearing throughout the tense negotiations.
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Adjective 2
able to support or carry itself; self-supporting (of a structure or object).
The ancient statue was unusually self-bearing and did not require additional props.
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Last updated: 2025/09/21 02:57