southing

[ sou-thing ]

/ ˈsaʊ ðɪŋ /

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noun

Astronomy.

the transit of a heavenly body across the celestial meridian.
south declination.

movement or deviation toward the south.

distance due south made by a vessel.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of southing

First recorded in 1650–60; south + -ing¹

Words nearby southing

South Gloucestershire, South Hadley, South Holland, South Houston, South Huntington, southing, Southington, South Island, South Kingstown, South Korea, South Korean

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use southing in a sentence

His cell looked South, and thus he could study the movements of the moon and the planets, and note the southing of the stars.
The Age of Erasmus|P. S. Allen
After the gale blew itself out, a fresh breeze succeeded, which enabled them rapidly to run down their southing.
South American Fights and Fighters|Cyrus Townsend Brady
But after a few weeks of content the southing spirit again seized upon the old male who had hitherto been the unquestioned leader.
Kings in Exile|Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts
With a southing wind blowing stiff from the icy Antarctic wastes, they “put it to her!”
The Viking Blood|Frederick William Wallace

On the 31st, to my mortification, the river held so much to the northward, that we undid almost all our southing.
Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia, Complete|Charles Sturt

British Dictionary definitions for southing

southing

/ (ˈsaʊðɪŋ) /

noun

nautical movement, deviation, or distance covered in a southerly direction

astronomy a south or negative declination

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