gyration

Meaning

1. (also, countable, figuratively, uncountable) The act of turning or whirling, especially around a fixed axis or centre; a circular or spiral motion; rotation.
2. (also, countable, figuratively, specifically, uncountable) The act of turning or whirling, especially around a fixed axis or centre; a circular or spiral motion; rotation.
3. (countable, uncountable) One of the whorls of a spiral univalve shell.
4. (countable, uncountable) The arrangement of convolutions of gyri in the cerebral cortex of the brain.

Synonyms

rotation

revolution

whirling

circumgyration

turn

circumvolution

rotate

spin

swing

twirl

twist

twisting

whirl

whirligig

whirling motion

turning movement

circular movement

back swing

pivoting motion

throw-over motion

circulation

rotation motion

cornering

ground loop

gyrate

roll

rotary motion

Translations

giro

rotation

Drehung

vuelta

περιστροφή

giration

rotazione

girata

rotació

revolución

Rotation

gir

révolution

revolució

volteggio

Pronounced as (IPA)

/dʒaɪ(ə)ˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: giren

In summary

From gyre (“to spin around; to gyrate, to whirl; (rare) to make (something) spin or whirl around; to spin, to whirl”) + -ation (suffix indicating actions or processes). Gyre is from Late Middle English giren (“to turn (something) away; to cause (something) to revolve or rotate; to travel in a circle”), from Old French girer (“to turn”), and directly from its etymon Latin gȳrāre, the present active infinitive of gȳrō (“to turn in a circle, rotate; to circle or revolve around”) (from gȳrus (“circle; circular motion; circuit, course”), from Ancient Greek γῦρος (gûros, “a circle, a ring”), from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to bend; to curve”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs).