rotation

[roh-tey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of rotating; a turning around as on an axis.

2. Astronomy.

   1. the movement or path of the earth or a heavenly body turning on its axis.

   2. one complete turn of such a body.

3. regularly recurring succession, as of officials.

4. Agriculture.,  crop rotation.

5. Mathematics.

   1. an operation that rotates rotate a geometric figure about a fixed point.

   2. curl.

6. Pool.,  a game in which the balls are played in order by number.

7. Baseball.,  pitching rotation.

rotation

/ rəʊˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of rotating; rotary motion

2. a regular cycle of events in a set order or sequence

3. a planned sequence of cropping according to which the crops grown in successive seasons on the same land are varied so as to make a balanced demand on its resources of fertility

4. maths

   1. a circular motion of a configuration about a given point or line, without a change in shape

   2. a transformation in which the coordinate axes are rotated by a fixed angle about the origin

   3. Abbreviation (for sense 4c): rot. another name for curl

5. 1. the spinning motion of a body, such as a planet, about an internal axis Compare revolution

   2. one complete turn in such motion

rotation

1. The motion of an object around an internal axis.

2. A single complete cycle of such motion.

3. See Note at revolution

4. A transformation of a coordinate system in which the new axes have a specified angular displacement from their original position while the origin remains fixed.

Other Word Forms

• rotational adjective
• nonrotation noun
• nonrotational adjective
• unrotational adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rotation¹

1545–55; < Latin rotātiōn- (stem of rotātiō ) a rotation, rolling, equivalent to rotāt ( us ) ( rotate ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

When the asteroid data is plotted on a graph of the rotation period versus diameter, something startling stands out - there's a gap, or dividing line that appears to split two distinct populations.

Read more on Science Daily

Using the energy from this rotation, M87* powers a particle jet expelled at nearly the speed of light, stretching across an immense 5,000 light-years.

Read more on Science Daily

But Alonso's reshaping of Madrid - his rotations, his emphasis on tactical structure - has made Vinicius one of several options on the left, no longer the guaranteed starter he was under Carlo Ancelotti.

Read more on BBC

Traded back to the Angels in 2014, Skaggs made the starting rotation, where he remained when not battling injuries until his death.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In a similar approach to Slot's Feyenoord team, Liverpool are looking to play with a greater number of rotations between players, progressing through the middle of the pitch with quick, small-space interplay.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• orbit