gyroscope

[jahy-ruh-skohp]

noun

1. an apparatus consisting of a rotating wheel so mounted that its axis can turn freely in certain or all directions, and capable of maintaining the same absolute direction in space in spite of movements of the mountings and surrounding parts: used to maintain equilibrium, determine direction, etc.

gyroscope

/ ˌdʒaɪrəˈskɒpɪk, ˈdʒaɪrəˌskəʊp /

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: gyro. a device containing a disc rotating on an axis that can turn freely in any direction so that the disc resists the action of an applied couple and tends to maintain the same orientation in space irrespective of the movement of the surrounding structure

gyroscope

1. An instrument consisting of a heavy disk or wheel spun rapidly about an axis like a top. The angular momentum of the disk causes it to resist changes in the direction of its axis of rotation, due to the principle of conservation of angular momentum. Because of the gyroscope's tendency to remain oriented in one direction, it is used as a stabilizing device in missiles, as well as in the navigation and piloting systems of airplanes, ships, rockets, and other vehicles.

Other Word Forms

• gyroscopic adjective
• gyroscopically adverb
• gyroscopics noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of gyroscope¹

First recorded in 1855–60; borrowed from the French word gyroscope, a combination of gyro- ( Greek gŷros meaning “ring, circle”) + -scope ( New Latin -scopium, from Greek skopeîn meaning “to look at”). It was coined by French physicist Léon Foucault in 1852, and so named because the purpose of a gyroscope is to show the rotation of the earth through the observation of a wheel on its axis.

Example Sentences

The units were tested against a high-end inertial navigation system—which estimates position by using gyroscopes and accelerometers.

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"Using quantum clocks, gyroscopes and magnetometers enables us to create a resilience against jamming and spoofing of our vital navigational systems."

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Rare-earth elements are mostly used to make high-powered magnets — those needed to manufacture a gyroscope for a fighter jet, for example.

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Quantum clocks, gyroscopes and accelerometers are large, bulky and incredibly expensive, with an accurate quantum clock costing around £100,000.

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The study, titled "City bus seat vibration analysis using 6-axis accelerometer and gyroscope sensors," was recently published in leading science journal, Nature.

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