rotary

[ roh-tuh-ree ]

/ ˈroʊ tə ri /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rotary ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

turning or capable of turning around on an axis, as a wheel.

taking place around an axis, as motion.

having a part or parts that turn on an axis, as a machine.

noun, plural ro·ta·ries.

a rotary device or machine.

Chiefly Northeastern U.S. traffic circle.

Also called rotary converter. Electricity. synchronous converter.

(initial capital letter) Rotary Club.

Nearby words

rotachute, rotameter, rotan, rotaplane, rotarian, rotary, rotary beater, rotary clothesline, rotary club, rotary dial, rotary engine

Origin of rotary

1725–35; < Medieval Latin rotārius (adj.), equivalent to Latin rot(a) wheel + -ārius -ary

Related forms

un·ro·ta·ry, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for rotary

Inquiries will be accepted only via Western Union telegram or rotary phone.
The World’s Toughest Political Quiz|Jeff Greenfield|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bob Bashara was a married Rotary Club president who lived in a ritzy Detroit suburb.
A Murder in Detroit’s Sexual Underworld|Steve Miller|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The thwap-thwap-thwap of rotary wings above triggered an intense reaction in Army trauma surgeon Dr. (Maj.) Tara Dixon.
From Hero to Homeless: Tara Dixon’s Story|Paula Broadwell|July 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She traveled to South Africa as a Rotary International Youth Ambassador and contracted malaria.
Rebel Wilson’s 12 Funniest Moments (Video)|Kevin Fallon|October 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST

They have no jet aircraft—they rely on rotary wing aircraft.
Iraq's Lousy Odds|Eli Lake|November 1, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The chief danger here lies in the rotary motion of the water at the sharpest bends.
The Andes of Southern Peru|Isaiah Bowman
True it is that there is no need to worry over any such complicated systems as strength or rotary discards.
Auction of To-day|Milton C. Work
This chain passed around a wheel, to which it consequently imparted a rotary motion.
Peter Cooper|Rossiter W. Raymond
This adjustment for voltage is made by means of taps brought out from the primary coil to a rotary switch.
The Radio Amateur's Hand Book|A. Frederick Collins
As the man pounded he found that when he gave the pestle a twirling or rotary motion as it fell it ground the grain much faster.
Stories of Useful Inventions|Samuel Eagle Foreman

British Dictionary definitions for rotary

rotary

/ (ˈrəʊtərɪ) /

adjective

of, relating to, or operating by rotation

turning or able to turn; revolving

noun plural -ries

a part of a machine that rotates about an axis

US and Canadian a roundabout (for traffic)

Word Origin for rotary

C18: from Medieval Latin rotārius, from Latin rota a wheel

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