echolocation

[ ek-oh-loh-key-shuh n ]

/ ˌɛk oʊ loʊˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

the general method of locating objects by determining the time for an echo to return and the direction from which it returns, as by radar or sonar.

Zoology. the sonarlike system used by dolphins, bats, and other animals to detect and locate objects by emitting usually high-pitched sounds that reflect off the object and return to the animal's ears or other sensory receptors.

Nearby words

echography, echoic, echoic memory, echoism, echolalia, echolocation, echomimia, echomotism, echopathy, echophrasia, echopraxia

Origin of echolocation

First recorded in 1944; echo + location

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for echolocation

echolocation

/ (ˌɛkəʊləʊˈkeɪʃən) /

noun

determination of the position of an object by measuring the time taken for an echo to return from it and its direction

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for echolocation

echolocation

1944, from echo (n.) + location.

Science definitions for echolocation

echolocation

[ ĕk′ō-lō-kā′shən ]

Sonar, especially of animals, such as bats and toothed whales. See more at sonar.