Homing

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Pronunciation: /ˈhoʊmɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Involving the process of returning to a designated location or point
2. Relating to the capability of certain creatures or devices to find their way back to a specific place
3. Involving moving back toward a predetermined location ; characteristic of beings or instruments that can find their original position or target precisely

Etymology: "Homing" is simply "home" with the ending "-ing" added, so it inherits its whole story from "home". That word goes back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to lie," and the earliest sense of the family was a settlement or village, a place where people lay down and stayed. The Greek word "kōmē," meaning village, descends from the same root, as does the Latin "civis," meaning citizen, and the Lithuanian "kaimas," meaning village. Old English "hām" carried the sense of dwelling and home, and that concept of a settled place is what gives the idea of returning to base its meaning. The verb "home" has long been used of animals returning to their base. "Homing" is a participle used in adjectives such as "homing pigeon," where the birds are bred and trained to find their way back to their lofts over great distances, and in "homing missile," where guidance systems steer a weapon toward a target.

Synonyms: returning, navigating

Antonyms: straying