orienteering

[ awr-ee-en-teer-ing, ohr- ]

noun

1. a competitive sport, originating in Sweden, that tests the skills of map reading and cross-country running, in which competitors race through an unknown area to find various checkpoints by using only a compass and topographical map, the winner being the finisher with the lowest elapsed time.

orienteering

/ ˌɔːrɪənˈtɪərɪŋ /

noun

1. a sport in which contestants race on foot over a course consisting of checkpoints found with the aid of a map and a compass

Word History and Origins

Origin of orienteering¹

Alteration of Swedish orientering (conformed to -eer ), equivalent to orienter ( a ) orient (v.) + -ing -ing ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of orienteering¹

C20: from Swedish orientering; compare orient

Example Sentences

From evacuation to orienteering, via resuscitation, they’re useful skills.

From BBC

Born in April 1999, Oleh Leniuk was brought up in the orienteering community.

From BBC

Aside from orienteering, Leniuk gained an undergraduate degree in applied mathematics and information technologies and a masters degree with honours in computer science.

From BBC

For example, Fletcher argues that “smartphones can make people worse at performing everyday tasks. Basic orienteering skills and transport knowledge have been outsourced to apps.”

From Slate

Ehle, a two-time Tony winner for her work in Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Thing” and “The Coast of Utopia,” described the process of situating herself within the production as “less rehearsing and more orienteering.”

From New York Times