reverse-rotating
|re-verse-ro-tat-ing|
🇺🇸
/rɪˈvɜrs ˈroʊteɪtɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/rɪˈvɜːs ˈrəʊteɪtɪŋ/
(reverse-rotate)
turning the opposite way
Etymology
'reverse-rotating' originates from a combination of English elements: the adjective/verb 'reverse' and the verb 'rotate'. 'reverse' ultimately comes from Old French 'revers' and Latin 'revertere', where 're-' meant 'back' and 'vertere' meant 'to turn'; 'rotate' comes from Latin 'rotare', meaning 'to turn'.
'reverse' entered English via Old French 'revers' and Middle English, while 'rotate' was borrowed from Latin scientific usage ('rotare') into Modern English; the compound 'reverse-rotate' and its adjectival form 'reverse-rotating' developed in technical contexts (engineering, mechanics) to describe opposite-direction rotation.
Initially, roots like 're-' + 'vertere' meant 'turn back' in a general sense, but in modern technical English the combined expression evolved to mean specifically 'to turn in the opposite direction relative to a reference'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a compound noun form ('reverse rotation') referring to the condition or instance of rotating in the opposite direction.
Reverse-rotating of the propellers prevented the vessel from moving forward.
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Verb 1
present participle of 'reverse-rotate'; performing the action of rotating in the opposite direction.
The mechanism is reverse-rotating to disengage the coupling.
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Adjective 1
rotating in the opposite direction relative to a reference direction or to another rotating object; turning the reverse way.
The two turbines are reverse-rotating to balance torque in the system.
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Last updated: 2025/10/20 07:06