Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Nutation"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Nutation \Nu*ta"tion\, n. [L. nutatio a nodding, fr. nutare to
nod: cf. F. nutation.]
1. The act of nodding.

So from the midmost the nutation spreads, Round and
more round, o'er all the sea of heads. --Pope.

2. (Astron.) A very small libratory motion of the earth's
axis, by which its inclination to the plane of the
ecliptic is constantly varying by a small amount.

3. (Bot.)
(a) The motion of a flower in following the apparent
movement of the sun, from the east in the morning to
the west in the evening.
(b) Circumnutation.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

nutation
n : uncontrolled nodding


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