rotary
[ roh-tuh-ree ]
/ ˈroʊ tə ri /
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.
RELATED WORDS
whirling, spinning, whirligig, revolving, vertiginous, gyral, gyratory, rotating, rotational, rotatory
Nearby words
- rotachute,
- rotameter,
- rotan,
- rotaplane,
- rotarian,
- rotary beater,
- rotary clothesline,
- rotary club,
- rotary dial,
- rotary engine
Origin of rotary
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web 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
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rotary
1731, from Medieval Latin rotarius "pertaining to wheels," from Latin rota "a wheel, a potter's wheel; wheel for torture," from PIE root *roto- "to run, to turn, to roll" (cf. Sanskrit rathah "car, chariot;" Avestan ratho; Lithuanian ratas "wheel," ritu "I roll;" Old High German rad, German Rad, Dutch rad, Old Frisian reth, Old Saxon rath, Old Irish roth, Welsh rhod "carriage wheel"). The international service club (founded by Paul P. Harris in Chicago in 1905) so called from the practice of clubs entertaining in rotation. Hence Rotarian (1911).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper