precession

C2 Topic:The Human Body

US /priːˈsɛʃən/ UK /prɪˈsɛʃən/ See IPA manual

Freq #92442

Meanings

1

noun
the slow conical motion of a spinning body's rotation axis, usually caused by an external torque

The spinning top's axis traced a slow circle because of precession.
2

noun
astronomy: a gradual change in the orientation of an astronomical body's rotation axis or orbit

Earth's axial precession slowly changes the position of the celestial poles.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the slow conical motion of... gyroscopic precessionaxial wobble

2 noun · astronomy: a gradual change... axial precessionastronomical precession

Word family

Derived forms precessional

Related forms precessrotation torquenutationequinox

Etymology

From Medieval Latin praecessio ("a going before"), from Latin praecedere ("to go before, precede"). The astronomical term first referred to the equinoxes' apparent westward "preceding" along the ecliptic; mechanics later applied it to a spinning axis's slow gyration.

Topics

The Human Body Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# precession

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /priːˈsɛʃən/
**IPA (UK):** /prɪˈsɛʃən/
**Frequency rank:** 92442

## Meanings
1. the slow conical motion of a spinning body's rotation axis, usually caused by an external torque
2. astronomy: a gradual change in the orientation of an astronomical body's rotation axis or orbit

## Examples
- The spinning top's axis traced a slow circle because of precession.
- Earth's axial precession slowly changes the position of the celestial poles.

## Synonyms
- gyroscopic precession
- axial precession
- axial wobble

## Derived Forms
- precessional

## Related Forms
- precess
- rotation
- torque
- nutation
- equinox

## Etymology
From Medieval Latin praecessio ("a going before"), from Latin praecedere ("to go before, precede"). The astronomical term first referred to the equinoxes' apparent westward "preceding" along the ecliptic; mechanics later applied it to a spinning axis's slow gyration.

## Topics
- The Human Body
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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