Bering
name, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 To encircle (something) with a ring or some other circular object (such as a shackle). ambitransitive, dated
"[A]n elephant was captured for a time by the king's hunters and, ere he broke free, beringed with a grievous leg-iron."
- 1 An element of various place names in the geographical region between the northeastern extreme of Russia and the U.S. state of Alaska.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"The ancestors of Native Americans went to the continent from Asia by way of the Bering Strait."
Etymology
Derived from the surname of Vitus Bering, a Danish-born navigator in the service of the Russian Navy, known for his two explorations of the north-eastern coast of the Asian continent and from there the western coast on the North American continent.
From be- (prefix forming verbs from adjectives or nouns, usually with the sense ‘to make, become, or cause to be [like the adjective or noun]’) + ring.
Related phrases
More for "bering"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.