rotatory

[roh-tuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]

adjective

1. pertaining to or of the nature of rotation.

   rotatory motion.

2. rotating, rotate, as an object.

3. passing or following in rotation or succession.

4. causing rotation, as a muscle.

rotatory

/ ˈrəʊtətərɪ, -trɪ, ˈrəʊtətɪv /

adjective

1. of, relating to, possessing, or causing rotation

Other Word Forms

• unrotatory adjective
• rotatively adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of rotatory¹

1745–55; < New Latin rotātōrius, equivalent to Latin rotā ( re ) ( rotate ¹ ) + -tōrius -tory ¹

Example Sentences

I fasten a horizontal board in the frame RR of my rotatory apparatus, lie down upon the same with my right ear upon the board, and cause the apparatus to be uniformly rotated.

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Screw and Screw-back.—This is putting a rotatory motion on a ball, causing it to spin on a horizontal axis backwards.

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Campbell and Moore have found spectroscopic evidence of internal rotatory motion in a large proportion of the planetary nebul�.

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They exhibit rotatory or oscillatory movements, especially observed when a drop of water is added to the fluid.

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The earth’s rotation is the original source of the rotatory movements, but both intensify the initial motion.

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Related Words

• whirling www.thesaurus.com