Rotational

How to spell rotational

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce rotational

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does rotational mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to or produced by turning around a centre or axis, or organised so that people or tasks take turns in sequence.

Rotational in a sentence

• The engineers measured the rotational speed of the turbine blades.

• Staff cover the late shifts on a rotational basis throughout the month.

Where does rotational come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb rotare, meaning 'to turn' or 'to revolve like a wheel', which itself came from rota, the ordinary Latin noun for a wheel. From rotare English built 'rotate' in the seventeenth century, and the noun 'rotation' followed to name the act of turning around a centre or axis. Adding the adjective ending -al produced 'rotational', describing anything relating to or produced by such turning. The same rota root quietly survives in 'rotary', in the British workplace 'rota' (a duty roster that goes round in turn), and even in 'roulette', whose little wheel keeps spinning. Because the spelling is fully regular and stacks predictable suffixes, the only real care needed is the single t and the -ational ending shared with words like national and educational.

How the word is built

• rot- (from Latin rotare: to turn, wheel)
• -ation (noun of action)
• -al (adjective suffix)