rotation

/roʊˈteɪʃən/

/rəʊˈteɪʃɛn/

Other forms: rotations

When something turns like a wheel, over and over again, it's in rotation. You can't feel the earth's rotation even though you know it's happening.

Even if you find the rotation of clothes in the dryer comforting, it's best to remain on the outside looking in. Rotation can also mean a series that repeats. A baseball team has a "pitching rotation" (five pitchers who take turns starting games), while a song that's on the radio every fifteen minutes is on "heavy rotation."

Definitions of rotation

1. noun

   the act of rotating as if on an axis
   “the rotation of the dancer kept time with the music”

   synonyms: rotary motion

   types:

   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

   twiddle

   a series of small (usually idle) twists or turns

   pirouette

   (ballet) a rapid spin of the body (especially on the toes as in ballet)

   birling, logrolling

   rotating a log rapidly in the water (as a competitive sport)

   type of:

   motility, motion, move, movement

   a change of position that does not entail a change of location
2. noun

   a single complete turn (axial or orbital)
   “the plane made three rotations before it crashed”

   synonyms: gyration, revolution

   types:

   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)

   backspin

   spin (usually of a moving ball) that retards or reverses the forward motion

   English, side

   (sports) the spin given to a ball by striking it on one side or releasing it with a sharp twist

   topspin

   forward spin (usually of a moving ball) that is imparted by an upward stroke

   wallow

   an indolent or clumsy rolling about

   type of:

   turn, turning

   a movement in a new direction
3. noun

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

   transformation

   (mathematics) a function that changes the position or direction of the axes of a coordinate system
4. noun

   a planned recurrent sequence (of crops or personnel etc.)
   “crop rotation makes a balanced demand on the fertility of the soil”

   “the manager had only four starting pitchers in his rotation”

   type of:

   chronological sequence, chronological succession, sequence, succession, successiveness

   a following of one thing after another in time