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autorotation

American  
[aw-toh-roh-tey-shuhn] / ˌɔ toʊ roʊˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

Aeronautics.

  1. the condition of flight occurring when lift is derived solely from the action of air upon the unpowered rotor of a moving helicopter or autogiro.

autorotation British  
/ ˌɔːtəʊrəʊˈteɪʃən /

noun

  1. the continuous rotation of a body in an airflow, such as that of the rotor blades of a helicopter in an unpowered descent

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • autorotational adjective

Etymology

Origin of autorotation

First recorded in 1915–20; auto- 1 + rotation

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If the supporting beam fails, the station will drift down gently, supported by the autorotation of its blades.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.