nutation.

A comparatively small periodic wobble superimposed on a rotating body’s larger orientation change.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• axial nutation
• nutation angle

On the page

The model included the planet’s nutation.

The sensor detected nutation in the spinning assembly.

Usage notes

Primary category: sci-fi. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.