gyrate

English

Etymology 1

Back-formation from gyration, on the basis of -ate (verb-forming suffix), from gyre (“to spin around; to gyrate, to whirl; (rare) to make (something) spin or whirl around; to spin, to whirl”) +‎ -ation (suffix indicating actions or processes), further from Late Middle English giren (“to turn (something) away; to cause (something) to revolve or rotate; to travel in a circle”), from Old French girer (“to turn”), from Latin gȳrō (“to turn in a circle, rotate; to circle or revolve around”), from gȳrus (“circle; circular motion; circuit, course”) +‎ -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix), from Ancient Greek γῦρος (gûros, “a circle, a ring”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to bend; to curve”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dʒaɪˈɹeɪt/, /ˈdʒaɪɹeɪt/

• Audio (Received Pronunciation):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒaɪˌɹeɪt/, /d͡ʒaɪˈɹeɪt/
• Rhymes: -eɪt (one pronunciation)
• Hyphenation: gyr‧ate

Verb

gyrate (third-person singular simple present gyrates, present participle gyrating, simple past and past participle gyrated)

1. (intransitive) To revolve round a central point; to move spirally about an axis, as a tornado.

   The stripper gyrated sexily around a pole.

Translations

to revolve round a central point; to move spirally about an axis, as a tornado — see also revolve

• Bulgarian: въртя се (vǎrtja se)
• Dutch: draaien (nl), ronddraaien (nl)
• Galician: xirar (gl)
• Ottoman Turkish: دونمك (dönmek)
• Russian: вращаться (ru) (vraščatʹsja)

Etymology 2

From gyrus (“fold, convolution”) +‎ -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

Adjective

gyrate (comparative more gyrate, superlative most gyrate)

1. (biology) Having coils or convolutions.

Translations

having coils or convolutions

• Bulgarian: спираловиден (bg) (spiraloviden), завит (bg) (zavit)

Latin

Verb

gȳrāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of gȳrō