Rotation

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɹoʊˈteɪʃən/

Definitions

1. A circular movement of an object around a center point or axis, or the act of taking turns in a sequence
2. A process involving the circular movement of an object about a central point or axis, as well as the alternation of roles or positions among participants in a sequence
3. The act of moving an object in a circular path around a fixed point or axis while also referring to the periodic change in roles or functions among a group

Etymology: The word "rotation" carries a wheel inside it. Its ancestor is the Latin "rota," meaning "wheel," which the Romans used for everything from chariot wheels to the potter's wheel. From "rota" they built "rotare," to turn like a wheel, and from that the noun "rotātiō," a turning around. English borrowed the noun directly from Latin, so its core sense has always been physical: something spinning on an axis. The figurative sense came from that same wheel. Once people spoke of things turning in turn, a seat passed around a council or a job handed from one person to the next, "rotation" naturally extended to any regular cycling of roles among a group. The image is still the wheel, with people standing in for spokes that take their turn at the top.

Synonyms: spinning, revolution, turn, twirl, circular motion

Antonyms: stillness, stasis, rest, inactivity, immobility