yaw

[ yaw ]

/ yɔ /

verb (used without object)

to deviate temporarily from a straight course, as a ship.

(of an aircraft) to have a motion about its vertical axis.

(of a rocket or guided missile) to deviate from a stable flight attitude by oscillation of the longitudinal axis in the horizontal plane.

verb (used with object)

to cause to yaw.

noun

a movement of deviation from a direct course, as of a ship.

a motion of an aircraft about its vertical axis.

an angle, to the right or left, determined by the direction of motion of an aircraft or spacecraft and its vertical and longitudinal plane of symmetry.

(of a rocket or guided missile)

the act of yawing.
the angular displacement of the longitudinal axis due to yawing.

Nearby words

Origin of yaw

First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain

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

Examples from the Web for yawing

I suppose they didn't want to lose ground by yawing, but as they came abreast of us they both opened fire.
The Bravest of the Brave|G. A. Henty
But what yawing about she made of it when she came with a stranger at the helm!
Sailing Alone Around The World|Joshua Slocum
Should it succeed in doing this, the rolling and yawing will render its aim very uncertain.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 586, March 26, 1887|Various
The yawing of the vessel called the attention of the mate to me, who sung out to hold her steady.
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 18|Alexander Leighton

Touchy work, maneuvering into it, with the ZX-1 yawing as she was, and the need for haste desperate.
Raiders Invisible|Desmond Winter Hall

British Dictionary definitions for yawing

yaw

/ (jɔː) /

verb

(intr) (of an aircraft, missile, etc) to turn about its vertical axisCompare pitch 1 (def. 11), roll (def. 14)

(intr) (of a ship, etc) to deviate temporarily from a straight course

(tr) to cause (an aircraft, ship, etc) to yaw

noun

the angular movement of an aircraft, missile, etc, about its vertical axis

the deviation of a vessel from a straight course

Word Origin for yaw

C16: of unknown origin

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

Word Origin and History for yawing

yaw

"to fall away from the line of a course," 1540s, from Old Norse jaga, Old Danish jæge "to drive, chase," from Middle Low German jagen (see yacht).

yaw

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of yaw

Examples from the Web for yawing

yaw

verb

noun

Word Origin for yaw

yaw