precess

[ pree-ses ]

verb (used without object)

, Mechanics.

1. to undergo precession ( def 2 ).

precess

/ prɪˈsɛs /

verb

1. to undergo or cause to undergo precession

Word History and Origins

Origin of precess¹

First recorded in 1890–95; back formation from precession

Example Sentences

Frame-dragging makes the entire disk wobble in circles, similar to how a gyroscope precesses.

From Science Daily

Through a process known as frame-dragging, the black hole causes the disk’s axis of rotation to swing round, or “precess.”

From Science Magazine

At the same time, this magnetic field causes the spin of the muons to precess smoothly like a gyroscope, as the particles travel around the ring, but with a small wobble.

From Scientific American

A vertical magnetic field bends their trajectories around the ring and also makes their spin axis twirl, or precess, like a wobbling gyroscope.

From Science Magazine

These beams precess like a gyroscope, periodically entering Earth’s field of view.

From Nature