gravitation

[ grav-i-tey-shuh n ]

/ ˌgræv ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

Physics.

the force of attraction between any two masses.Compare law of gravitation.
an act or process caused by this force.

a sinking or falling.

a movement or tendency toward something or someone: the gravitation of people toward the suburbs.

Nearby words

graviperception, gravireceptor, gravisphere, gravitas, gravitate, gravitation, gravitational, gravitational collapse, gravitational constant, gravitational field, gravitational interaction

Origin of gravitation

First recorded in 1635–45, gravitation is from the New Latin word gravitātiōn- (stem of gravitātiō). See gravitate, -ion

Related forms

grav·i·ta·tion·al, adjectivegrav·i·ta·tion·al·ly, adverban·ti·grav·i·ta·tion, adjectivean·ti·grav·i·ta·tion·al, adjective

an·ti·grav·i·ta·tion·al·ly, adverbnon·grav·i·ta·tion, nounnon·grav·i·ta·tion·al, adjectivenon·grav·i·ta·tion·al·ly, adverbsu·per·grav·i·ta·tion, nounun·grav·i·ta·tion·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gravitational

Something fascinating is going on in the gravitational dance of galaxies, from watching the slow twirls of the dancers.
The Black Hole Tango|Matthew R. Francis|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the probes map the gravitational field along North-South line, which makes the data look stripy.
Glaciers Lose 204 Billion Tons of Ice in Three Years|Matthew R. Francis|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the new paper, Laniakea is defined by a gravitational boundary.
Laniakea: The Milky Way’s Place in the Heavens|Matthew R. Francis|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Those planets were found through their gravitational pull on the star.
The Exoplanet That Wasn’t There|Matthew R. Francis|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Their gravitational pull can draw in huge amounts of gas, which swirls in a thick donut-shaped pattern known as an accretion disk.
The Supermassive Black Hole Smokescreen|Matthew R. Francis|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The earth is held closely to this path by the gravitational pull of the sun, which has a mass 333,432 times that of the earth.
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4)|J. Arthur Thomson
Remember, a scoopship hasn't much mass, and she does have engines designed for diving in and out of Jupe's gravitational well.
Industrial Revolution|Poul William Anderson
Magnetic and gravitational and electrostatic fields rotate polarized light or bend light or do this or that as the case may be.
Operation: Outer Space|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
Had she not shared his enthusiasm at the Gravitational Ray Theory?
The Cosmic Deflector|Stanton A. Coblentz
You know that a gravitational field bends light; the light of a star is deflected in passing the sun.
Astounding Stories, March, 1931|Various

British Dictionary definitions for gravitational (1 of 2)

gravitational

/ (ˌɡrævɪˈteɪʃənəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, or involving gravitation

Derived Forms

gravitationally, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for gravitational (2 of 2)

gravitation

/ (ˌɡrævɪˈteɪʃən) /

noun

the force of attraction that bodies exert on one another as a result of their mass

any process or result caused by this interaction, such as the fall of a body to the surface of the earth

Also called: gravity

Medicine definitions for gravitational

gravitation

[ grăv′ĭ-tā′shən ]

n.

The natural phenomenon of attraction between massive bodies.

The act or process of moving under the influence of this attraction.

A movement toward a source of attraction.

Science definitions for gravitational

gravitation

[ grăv′ĭ-tā′shən ]

See gravity.

Culture definitions for gravitational

gravitation

The force, first described mathematically by Isaac Newton, whereby any two objects in the universe are attracted toward each other. Gravitation holds the moon in orbit around the Earth, the planets in orbit around the sun, and the sun in the Milky Way. It also accounts for the fall of objects released near the surface of the Earth. The modern theory of gravitation is the general theory of relativity.