Gyroscope

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Gyroscope \Gy"ro*scope\ (j[imac]"r[-o]*sk[=o]p), n. [Gr. gy^ros
     ring, circle + -scope.]
     1. A rotating wheel, mounted in a ring or rings, for
        illustrating the dynamics of rotating bodies, the
        composition of rotations, etc. It was devised by Professor
        W. R. Johnson, in 1832, by whom it was called the


        {rotascope}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. A form of the above apparatus, invented by M. Foucault,
        mounted so delicately as to render visible the rotation of
        the earth, through the tendency of the rotating wheel to
        preserve a constant plane of rotation, independently of
        the earth's motion.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  gyroscope
       n : rotating mechanism in the form of a universally mounted
           spinning wheel that offers resistance to turns in any
           direction [syn: {gyro}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  44 Moby Thesaurus words for "gyroscope":
     balance, balance rudder, balance wheel, ballast, centrifuge, chuck,
     counterbalance, counterweight, drill, extractor, fan, fin,
     fixative, flywheel, governor, hairspring, impeller, jack, keel,
     mordant, pendulum, propeller, reel, roller, rolling pin,
     rotary drill, rotor, screw, shock absorber, spindle, spinner, spit,
     spool, springs, stabilizator, stiffening, tail plane, teetotum,
     top, treadmill, turbine, turntable, whorl, windmill