zeroinghttp://www.oed.com/dictionary/zeroing_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_usezeroing, n.
Revised 2018

zeroingnoun

    1. 1.a.
      1906–
      The adjustment of an instrument or device to give a reading of zero, esp. for the purposes of calibration.
      1. 1906
        The device was disused for most work eventually owing to the very slow zeroing of the pointer.
        Electrician 6 April 1021/1
      2. 1948
        The meter should..indicate this value correctly. If it does not, the zeroing operation is again carried out and a recalibration made.
        American Journal of Psychology vol. 61 409
      3. 1975
        A process-control computer..has been extended to control zeroing of selected instrument transmitters to improve the accuracy of the input.
        Chemical Engineering 10 November 223/1
      4. 2011
        Automatic zeroing compensates both real and imaginary components.
        J. Pokorný et al. in E. Petrovský et al., Earth's Magn. Interior xx. 294/2
    2. 1.b.
      1908–
      The action or process of adjusting the sights of a rifle; the manner or position in which the sights of a rifle are set. Cf. zero v. 2. Frequently attributive.
      1. 1908
        The Zeroing of Military Rifles.—One of the most difficult..problems of the rifle is that which concerns the ascertainment of the zero angle.
        Arms & Explosives August 99/2
      2. 1917
        During the zeroing performance at short range, the Mark VII bullet with its aluminum nose did a queer thing.
        Arms & Man 8 February 386/2
      3. 1931
        The majority are content to fire a few shots at the zeroing range with the idea of finding out if the sights are set straight.
        Times 13 April 7/5
      4. 1975
        On the rifle were telescopic sights... He would..fire a few rounds and check the zeroing.
        V. Canning, Kingsford Mark v. 83
      5. 2012
        A sniper might well take out the bolt to clean it but he would not..remove the telescopic sights from the receiver to avoid spoiling the zeroing.
        R. Stirling, Special Forces Sniper Skills iii. 88
  1. 2.
    1956–
    Linguistics. The omission or deletion of part of a linguistic form or structure.
    1. 1956
      In all or nearly all dialects the first of two contiguous unstressed vowels may or may not be modified by shortening and/or raising or zeroing.
      Language vol. 32 645
    2. 1970
      It is convenient to treat such clauses as derived by context-governed deletion from full clauses like them in every respect save the presence of such constituents. The term ‘zeroing’ will be reserved for such discourse deletion.
      J. W. Gair, Colloquial Sinhalese Clause Structures iv. 54
    3. 2007
      This zeroing does not normally occur in KS [= Koyraboro Senni].
      Nat. Lang. & Ling. Theory vol. 25 93

zeroing, n. was revised in June 2018.

zeroing, n. was last modified in June 2024.