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gyro1

[jahy-roh]
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noun, plural gy·ros.
  1. gyrocompass.
  2. gyroscope.
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Origin of gyro1

First recorded in 1905–10; independent use of gyro-

gyro2

[jeer-oh, zheer-oh; Greek yee-raw]
noun Greek Cookery.
  1. meat, usually lamb, roasted on a vertical spit, then thinly sliced, topped with onions, and usually served in a sandwich of pita bread.
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Origin of gyro2

1970–75; < Modern Greek gŷros literally, turn, revolution; see gyre

gyro-

  1. a combining form meaning “ring,” “circle,” “spiral,” used in the formation of compound words: gyromagnetic; gyroscope.
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Also especially before a vowel, gyr-.

Origin of gyro-

< Greek gŷros ring, noun use of gȳrós round
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

gyroscopespinnerwhirligiggyrostat

Examples from the Web for gyro

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Why, even the gyro compass has to be adjusted for latitude error.

    Where the Blue Begins

    Christopher Morley

  • Without a gyro to keep the drive upright, I took a loop and started heading for the ground.

    Islands of Space

    John W Campbell

  • Engines of Gilgamesh will not be used except for the heat-disposal and gyro auxiliaries.

    The Lost Kafoozalum

    Pauline Ashwell

  • There should be approximately one minute before the major color changes began, which was also the minimum time for gyro run up.

    Far from Home

    J.A. Taylor

  • Others were large lumps from the computer-banks, gyro platform, fuel pumps, and other more massive components.

    Pushbutton War

    Joseph P. Martino

British Dictionary definitions for gyro

gyro

noun plural -ros
  1. See gyrocompass
  2. See gyroscope
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gyro-

before a vowel gyr-

combining form
  1. indicating rotating or gyrating motiongyroscope
  2. indicating a spiral
  3. indicating a gyroscopegyrocompass
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Word Origin

via Latin from Greek guro-, from guros circle
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

Word Origin and History for gyro

n.

sandwich made from roasted lamb, late 20c., originally the meat itself, as roasted on a rotating spit, from Modern Greek gyros "a circle" (see gyre); mistaken in English for a plural and shorn of its -s.

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gyro-

word-forming element meaning "gyrating" or "gyroscope," from comb. form of Greek gyros "ring, circle" (see gyre).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper