ROTATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does rotation mean? 

• ROTATION (noun)
  The noun ROTATION has 4 senses:

1. the act of rotating as if on an axis

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

3. a single complete turn (axial or orbital)

4. a planned recurrent sequence (of crops or personnel etc.)

  Familiarity information: ROTATION used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ROTATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of rotating as if on an axis

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

rotary motion; rotation

Context example:

the rotation of the dancer kept time with the music

Hypernyms ("rotation" is a kind of...):

motility; motion; move; movement (a change of position that does not entail a change of location)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rotation"):

circumvolution (the act of turning or winding or folding around a central axis)

feather; feathering (turning an oar parallel to the water between pulls)

gyration; whirling (the act of rotating in a circle or spiral)

pivot (the act of turning on (or as if on) a pivot)

pronation (rotation of the hands and forearms so that the palms face downward)

spin; twirl; twist; twisting; whirl (the act of rotating rapidly)

spiral (flying downward in a helical path with a large radius)

supination (rotation of the hands and forearms so that the palms face upward)

turn; twist (turning or twisting around (in place))

twist; wind; winding (the act of winding or twisting)

turnout ((ballet) the outward rotation of a dancer's leg from the hip)

Derivation:

rotate (turn on or around an axis or a center)

rotate (cause to turn on an axis or center)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(mathematics) a transformation in which the coordinate axes are rotated by a fixed angle about the origin

Classified under:

Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas

Hypernyms ("rotation" is a kind of...):

transformation ((mathematics) a function that changes the position or direction of the axes of a coordinate system)

Domain category:

math; mathematics; maths (a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A single complete turn (axial or orbital)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

gyration; revolution; rotation

Context example:

the revolution of the earth about the sun takes one year

Hypernyms ("rotation" is a kind of...):

turn; turning (a movement in a new direction)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rotation"):

clockwise rotation; dextrorotation (rotation to the right)

counterclockwise rotation; levorotation (rotation to the left)

axial motion; axial rotation; roll (rotary motion of an object around its own axis)

orbital motion; orbital rotation (motion of an object in an orbit around a fixed point)

spin (a swift whirling motion (usually of a missile))

Sense 4

Meaning:

A planned recurrent sequence (of crops or personnel etc.)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

the manager had only four starting pitchers in his rotation

Hypernyms ("rotation" is a kind of...):

chronological sequence; chronological succession; sequence; succession; successiveness (a following of one thing after another in time)

Derivation:

rotate (plant or grow in a fixed cyclic order of succession)

rotate (perform a job or duty on a rotating basis)

rotate (exchange on a regular basis)

 Context examples 

They then assessed control strategies for large and small farms under three scenarios: no management of disease, management without crop rotation and management with crop rotation.

(Researchers model ways to control deadly maize disease, SciDev.Net)

The new study is also the first to measure the rotation rate of an exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star.

(Investigating the Mystery of Migrating 'Hot Jupiters', NASA)

Scientists believe this new feature is a result of Uranus' unique rotation.

(Hubble Reveals Dynamic Atmospheres of Uranus, Neptune, NASA)

The team used this data to develop what they describe as a "rotation curve."

(Researchers Estimate Mass of Milky Way to Be 3.9 Tredecillion Pounds, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

A device designed to act as a center of rotation.

(Pivot Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

Circular movement in the direction opposite to the rotation of the hands of a clock.

(Counterclockwise, NCI Thesaurus)

The luminosity and rotation are used together to determine a star's Rossby number, relating to plasma flow.

(Sun's mood swings not so strange after all, Wikinews)

In magnetic resonance imaging, the rotation of the average axis of the protons, relative to the main magnetic field direction, induced by radiofrequency signals.

(Flip Angle, NCI Thesaurus)

It serves as the structure that supports the rotation of the first cervical vertebra.

(Odontoid Process, NCI Thesaurus)

Circular movement in the direction of the rotation of the hands of a clock.

(Clockwise, NCI Thesaurus)