Revolving

How to spell revolving

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce revolving

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does revolving mean?

1. adjectiveTurning round and round on a central point or axis.
2. verbPresent participle of revolve: moving in a circle around a central point.

Revolving in a sentence

• adjective

  The hotel entrance had a heavy revolving door that jammed in winter.

• verb

  The satellite kept revolving steadily around the planet.

• adjective

  The chef stored spices on a revolving rack beside the stove.

• verb

  Her entire week was revolving around the deadline on Friday.

Where does revolving come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb revolvere, which meant 'to roll back' or 'to turn over', formed from the prefix re- ('back' or 'again') and volvere ('to roll' or 'to turn'). The same volvere root quietly powers a whole family of English words, including 'revolve', 'revolution', 'volume' (originally a rolled-up scroll) and 'voluble' (someone whose words roll out freely). English took the verb 'revolve' from Latin in the late 1300s, at first carrying the sense of turning something over in the mind, and the spinning, physical meaning of going round and round developed soon after. The present participle 'revolving' became common as both a verb form and an adjective, describing anything that turns on an axis, as in a revolving door. Because the stressed middle syllable swallows the vowel, the trick to spelling it is remembering the buried 'l' and the 'v' of that ancient volvere 'roll'.

How the word is built

• re- (back, again)
• volv (roll, turn)
• -ing (participle/adjective suffix)