nutation

[ noo-tey-shuhn, nyoo- ]

/ nuˈteɪ ʃən, nyu- /

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noun

an act or instance of nodding one's head, especially involuntarily or spasmodically.

Botany. spontaneous movements of plant parts during growth.

Astronomy. the periodic oscillation observed in the precession of the earth's axis and the precession of the equinoxes.

Mechanics. the variation of the inclination of the axis of a gyroscope to the vertical.

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Origin of nutation

1605–15; <Latin nūtātiōn- (stem of nūtātiō), equivalent to nūtāt(us) (past participle of nūtāre to nod repeatedly; nū- nod + -tā- frequentative suffix + -tus past participle ending) + -iōn--ion; cf. numen

OTHER WORDS FROM nutation

nu·ta·tion·al, adjective

Words nearby nutation

nu soul, Nüsslein-Volhard, nut, nutant, nutate, nutation, nutbrown, nutcase, nutcracker, Nutcracker Suite, nut dash

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nutation in a sentence

Why did he not continue in the same spot, except for the slow change caused by the nutation or nodding of Venus?
A Trip to Venus|John Munro
It is affected by the motions of Precession and Nutation, of which the former has been known since the time of Hipparchus.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7|Various
These two motions are defined with greater detail in the articles Precession of the Equinoxes and Nutation.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7|Various
Many growing stems have also a movement of Nutation, that is, of nodding successively in different directions.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray

In the case of nutation the North Pole remains in the same geographical position, but points to a different part of the heavens.
Astronomical Discovery|Herbert Hall Turner

British Dictionary definitions for nutation

nutation

/ (njuːˈteɪʃən) /

noun

astronomy a periodic variation in the precession of the earth's axis causing the earth's poles to oscillate about their mean position

physics a periodic variation in the uniform precession of the axis of any spinning body, such as a gyroscope, about the horizontal

Also called: circumnutation the spiral growth of a shoot, tendril, or similar plant organ, caused by variation in the growth rate in different parts

the act or an instance of nodding the head

Derived forms of nutation

nutational, adjective

Word Origin for nutation

C17: from Latin nutātiō, from nūtāre to nod

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

Scientific definitions for nutation

nutation

[ nōō-tā′shən ]

A small, cyclic variation of the Earth's axis of rotation with a period of 18.6 years, caused by tidal forces (mostly due to the gravity of the Moon). Nutation is a small and relatively rapid oscillation of the axis superimposed on the larger and much slower oscillation known as precession. Although discovered in 1728 by the British astronomer James Bradley (1693-1762), nutation was not explained until two decades later.

A slight curving or circular movement in a stem, as of a twining plant, caused by irregular growth rates of different parts.