1. The act of turning, as a wheel or a solid body on its axis, as distinguished from the progressive motion
of a revolving round another body or a distant point; thus, the daily turning of the earth on its axis is a
rotation; its annual motion round the sun is a revolution.
2. Any return or succesion in a series.
Moment of rotation.
See Moment of inertia, under Moment. — Rotation in office, the practice of
changing public officers at frequent intervals by discharges and substitutions. — Rotation of crops,
the practices of cultivating an orderly succession of different crops on the same land.
Rotation
(Ro*ta"tion) a. Pertaining to, or resulting from, rotation; of the nature of, or characterized by,
rotation; as, rotational velocity.
Rotative
(Ro"ta*tive) a. [Cf. F. rotatif.] turning, as a wheel; rotary; rotational.
This high rotative velocity of the sun must cause an equatorial rise of the solar atmosphere.
Siemens. Rotative engine,
a steam engine in which the reciprocating motion of the piston is transformed into a
continuous rotary motion, as by means of a connecting rod, a working beam and crank, or an oscillating
cylinder.
Rotator
(Ro*ta"tor) n. [L.]
1. (Anat.) that which gives a rotary or rolling motion, as a muscle which partially rotates or turns some
part on its axis.
2. (Metal.) A revolving reverberatory furnace.
Rotatoria
(||Ro`ta*to"ri*a) n. pl. [NL.] (Zoöl.) Same as Rotifera.
Rotatory
(Ro"ta*to*ry) a. [Cf. F. rotatoire. See Rotate, Rotary.]
1. Turning as on an axis; rotary.
2. Going in a circle; following in rotation or succession; as, rotatory assembles. Burke.
3. (Opt.) Producing rotation of the plane of polarization; as, the rotatory power of bodies on light. See
the Note under polarization. Nichol.
Rotatory
(Ro"ta*to*ry), n. (Zoöl.) A rotifer. [R.] Kirby.
Rotche
(Rotche) n. (Zoöl.) A very small arctic sea bird (Mergulus alle, or Alle alle) common on both
coasts of the Atlantic in winter; — called also little auk, dovekie, rotch, rotchie, and sea dove.