gyro

[jahy-roh]

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noun, plural gy·ros.

gyrocompass.

gyroscope.

Origin of gyro

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

gyro

[jeer-oh, zheer-oh; Greek yee-raw]

noun Greek Cookery.

meat, usually lamb, roasted on a vertical spit, then thinly sliced, topped with onions, and usually served in a sandwich of pita bread.

Origin of gyro

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

gyro-

a combining form meaning “ring,” “circle,” “spiral,” used in the formation of compound words: gyromagnetic; gyroscope.

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. 2019

Related Words for gyro

gyroscope, spinner, whirligig, gyrostat

Examples from the Web for gyro

Contemporary Examples of gyro

Even Garnet's gyro wrap is made with McLane farms seasoned lamb.
Spaghetti for Breakfast?! Not So Crazy at This Idaho Farm Café
Jane & Michael Stern
August 4, 2014
We even get appearances by Riff Raff (Richard O'Brien) and the Gyro Captain (Bruce Spence) in minor roles.
George R.R. Martin's Top 10 Fantasy Films
George R.R. Martin
April 11, 2011

Historical Examples of gyro

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

See gyrocompass

See gyroscope

gyro-

before a vowel gyr-

combining form

indicating rotating or gyrating motiongyroscope

indicating a spiral

indicating a gyroscopegyrocompass

Word Origin for gyro-

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

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.

gyro-

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