nutation

English

Etymology

1610s, from Latin nūtātiō (“nodding”), from nūtō (“I nod”). Compare mutation.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

nutation (countable and uncountable, plural nutations)

1. (physics) A bobbing motion that accompanies the precession of a spinning rigid body.
2. A nodding motion (of the head etc.).
3. (astronomy) Any of several irregularities in the precession of the equinoxes caused by varying torque applied to the Earth by the Sun and the Moon.
4. (botany) The circular motion of the tip of a growing shoot.

Derived terms

• circumnutation
• counternutation
• nutate

Translations

physics term

• German: Nutation (de) f
• Greek: κλόνηση f (klónisi)
• Irish: nútaíocht f, nútú m
• Kazakh: нутация (nutasiä)
• Portuguese: nutação (pt) f
• Russian: нута́ция (ru) f (nutácija)
• Spanish: nutación f

head nodding

• Bulgarian: кимане n (kimane)
• Portuguese: nutação (pt) f
• Russian: кива́ние (ru) n (kivánije)

astronomical term

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 章動／章动 (zh) (zhāngdòng)

• French: nutation (fr) f
• German: Nutation (de) f
• Greek: κλόνηση f (klónisi)
• Irish: nútaíocht f, nútú m
• Japanese: 章動 (しょうどう, shōdō)
• Kazakh: нутация (nutasiä)
• Portuguese: nutação (pt) f
• Spanish: nutación f

French

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

nutation f (plural nutations)

1. nutation

Further reading

• “nutation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.