The process of cutting off or trimming the tail or ears of an animal.
"The farmer explained that docking is necessary to prevent sheep from developing long tails that get caught in fences."
In plain English: Docking is when something, usually a spaceship or boat, connects to another larger vehicle for fuel or supplies.
"The docking fee for our ship was surprisingly high this week."
Usage: This term refers specifically to livestock management and should not be confused with the maritime act of securing a vessel alongside another structure. It carries a formal, agricultural register rather than casual usage.
present participle of dock
"The fishing boat was seen docking at the harbor after a long night on the water."
In plain English: To dock something means to attach it securely, like when you hook up your phone charger to an outlet.
"The ship is docking at the harbor tonight."
Docking comes from combining the word dock with the suffix -ing to describe the action of securing a ship at a pier or landing an aircraft on a platform. The term entered English as a gerund form directly derived from the noun dock, which originally referred to a wharf or basin for mooring vessels.