Showing results for "imprinting"

• present participle of imprint.

imprinting

American  

[im-prin-ting] / ɪmˈprɪn tɪŋ /

noun

Animal Behavior, Psychology.

1. rapid learning that occurs during a brief receptive period, typically soon after birth or hatching, and establishes a long-lasting behavioral response to a specific individual or object, as attachment to parent, offspring, or site.

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imprinting British  

/ ɪmˈprɪntɪŋ /

noun

1. the development through exceptionally fast learning in young animals of recognition of and attraction to members of their own species or to surrogates

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imprinting Scientific  

/ ĭm′prĭn′tĭng /

1. A rapid learning process by which a newborn or very young animal establishes a behavior pattern of recognition and attraction towards other animals of its own kind, as well as to specific individuals of its species, such as its parents, or to a substitute for these. Ducklings, for example, will imprint upon and follow the first large moving object they observe. In nature, this is usually their mother, but they can be made to imprint upon other moving objects, such as a soccer ball.

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Etymology

Origin of imprinting

1937; imprint + -ing ¹, translation of German Prägung, K. Lorenz's term

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

imprinting

Monica may spend time with David and choose whether she’d like to activate his imprinting feature, triggering a familial love that looks and feels as real as her biological son’s — at least to David.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

In genomic imprinting, an allele can be chemically marked through a process called methylation and effectively switched off.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026

The researchers identified imprinting in five additional genes.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026

If there’s another cub in California, the agency may try to pair them up to keep them from imprinting on people, according to the release.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2025

Therefore, imprinting in an animal’s mind the artificial connection that if it does a certain action, say, roll over, it will get a treat can be achieved only by mind-numbing repetition.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel