Heeling

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈhiːlɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The act of shifting or tilting to one side, particularly in sailing, describes a vessel's position due to wind influence, and includes the training of dogs to closely follow their handler
2. It refers to the lean of a boat to one side from wind action on sails, as well as a dog's method of walking beside an owner for obedience
3. The term describes the tilting of a vessel caused by wind acting on its sails, and also refers to a dog's behavior when walking closely alongside its owner for training purposes

Etymology: The noun "heel" for the back of the foot comes from a Proto-Germanic diminutive of "hock," the joint of the hind leg, so the foot's back was named after a small piece of animal anatomy. The verb sense is a different matter. Its most likely source is an Old English verb meaning "to incline," which lies behind the past tense "hielded," and that verb is related to Old Norse "hella," "to pour out," the root of Danish "hælde," "lean, pour." A ship leaning under the wind and a liquid tipping out of a jug share one underlying motion: tilting. The nautical sense, a vessel listing to one side under the pressure of its sails, grows naturally from that idea of inclining. Among the terms that clustered around the same root, the word "hele" meaning "conceal, cover" is listed as a separate source, so the verb's connections are a tangle rather than a single straight line. The dog-training sense, a dog walking close at its owner's left side, is an extension of the same notion of keeping close to something.

Synonyms: tilting, leaning, angling, slanting, inclining