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 ( def 14 ).
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. another name for curl Abbreviation (for sense 4c)rot
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

/ rō-tā′shən /

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.

Derived Forms

• roˈtational, adjective

Other Words From

• ro·tation·al adjective
• nonro·tation noun
• nonro·tation·al adjective
• unro·tation·al 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

The design offers independent screen rotation and positioning, and each can tilt back up to 70 degrees or forward by 5 degrees.

From Popular-Science

Huddles typically last a few hours, during which the penguins may cycle through multiple rotations from the huddle’s cold exterior to its warm interior.

From Quanta Magazine

They give the Nationals what projects to be one of the top rotations in the NL.

From FiveThirtyEight

ROMY could also detect a change in Earth’s spin rate so small that it would add up to only a four-second difference in the length of a day, over a single rotation.

From Science News

That offseason, the Dodgers signed Zack Greinke to join Kershaw, pairing Cy Young winners at the top of the rotation.

From FiveThirtyEight

Following one week of “R&R,” the team will spend one more six-week rotation in the ETU before entering a three-week isolation.

From The Daily Beast

"Palmer always keeps his word," beamed Weaver, putting the right hander back in the rotation.

From The Daily Beast

Others who will join the rotation include Alan Alda, Candice Bergen, Stacy Keach, and Carol Burnett.

From The Daily Beast

I heard no recent jazz releases, or any of the tracks currently in heavy rotation on the few remaining jazz radio stations.

From The Daily Beast

Of course, that relates to the other rotation of the spin herethat she was difficult and demanding.

From The Daily Beast

The special application of these facts must be reserved till we come to treat of the rotation of crops.

From Project Gutenberg

The remarkable difference in the proportion of these elements has been supposed to afford an explanation of rotation.

From Project Gutenberg

Such an atom would by the rotation of the sphere accomplish no motion except, indeed, that it might turn round on its own centre.

From Project Gutenberg

This evidence does not require us to abandon the supposition that the tides tend to diminish the earth's rate of rotation.

From Project Gutenberg

In mammals the head rotates more easily, but valuable time is lost in the rotation of the whole body.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• orbit