gyrate

English

Etymology 1

Back-formation from gyration,[1] 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),[2] further from Late Middle English giren (to turn (something) away; to cause (something) to revolve or rotate; to travel in a circle),[3] from Old French girer (to turn), from Latin gȳrō (to turn in a circle, rotate; to circle or revolve around),[4] from gȳrus (circle; circular motion; circuit, course) +‎ (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.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

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

Adjective

gyrate (comparative more gyrate, superlative most gyrate)

  1. (biology) Having coils or convolutions.
Derived terms
Translations

References

  1. ^ gyrate, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  2. ^ gyration, n.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2020; gyration, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022; Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “gyration”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
  3. ^ ǧīren, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  4. ^ Compare gyrate, v.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2019; and gyre, v.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2020; gyre, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Latin

Verb

gȳrāte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of gȳrō