Revolves

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To spin around a focal point while maintaining a consistent path, to engage in a circular movement around an object, or to experience a repetitive sequence of events or transformations
2. To rotate about a core axis while following a defined trajectory, to travel in a circular route around another body, or to consistently transition through various stages or iterations
3. To move along a curved line around a central point or object ; to turn continuously around an axis or central point ; to concentrate attention or thought on a specific topic

Etymology: "Revolves" is simply the third-person singular form of "revolve," so the history belongs to the verb. Its ancestor is Latin "revolvere," built from "re-" meaning "back" and "volvere" meaning "roll." The literal picture is of something being rolled back on itself, which explains why the English word still carries the sense of turning around a central point. The verb reached English through Middle English "revolven," which meant "to change direction," before the sense of turning around an axis or circuit became central. On the way in, it passed through Old French "revolver," where the Latin meaning had already stretched from physical rolling toward the act of reflecting upon something, a mental turning over of ideas. The Latin root also gave English "voluble," meaning fluent or rolling easily off the tongue, and "volve," a now-rare word for something that turns or rolls. These relatives all share the same core image of motion that turns back on itself.

Synonyms: rotates, turns, spins, circles, orbits

Antonyms: stays, remains, settles, sits, rests