echolocate

[ ek-oh-loh-keyt ]

verb (used with object)

1. to identify where something is located based on the time it takes an echo to return and the direction from which it returns, a specialized technique used by a number of animals, including dolphins and bats.

Word History and Origins

Origin of echolocate¹

First recorded in 1940–45 as a radar term; echo ( def ) + locate ( def )