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Glite Dictionary
echolocation

echolocation

7 7.0
A way of finding objects by listening to echoes, as bats and dolphins do
  • noun
  • /ˌiːkoʊlɒˈkeɪʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ecolocalización
  • Whales and dolphins use echolocation as a means to navigate in the rivers and oceans.
  • use echolocation

Human beings, dogs smell, but bats and dolphins, echolocation is their primary sense.

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Examples

  • Dolphins and bats have something similar called echolocation.

    The Son of Bigfoot (2017)

  • Now, we all know bats use echolocation.

    Star Kid (1997)

  • Bats are blind and rely on echolocation to see.

  • Bats use a remarkable navigation and measurement system called echolocation to locate insects and prey as part of their survival strategy (Harris).

    Academic text (2007)

  • For example, in an echolocation demonstration, visitors can use a joystick to maneuver a bat model in search of food, using lasers to simulate sonar.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Bats use echolocation to find their way in the dark by detecting sound waves that bounce off objects.

  • Dolphins rely on echolocation to locate fish in the ocean by emitting sounds and listening for echoes.

  • Many animals, such as bats and dolphins, are known for their ability to navigate through echolocation.

Surface Forms

echolocation singular
echolocations plural

Morphology

echolocation = echo + location (transparent) = echo + location

The word is a straightforward compound of 'echo' (reflected sound) and 'location' (finding a place), so the meaning 'using echoes to determine position' is directly inferable.

Etymology

Echolocation comes from the parts echo, meaning 'sound that bounces back', and location, meaning 'place'. So echolocation is using echoes to find where things are, as bats and dolphins do.