gravitation

[ grav-i-tey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for gravitation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Physics.

    • the force of attraction between any two masses.: Compare law of gravitation.

    • an act or process caused by this force.

  2. a sinking or falling.

  1. a movement or tendency toward something or someone: the gravitation of people toward the suburbs.

Origin of gravitation

1
First recorded in 1635–45; from New Latin gravitātiōn- (stem of gravitātiō ), derivative of gravitāre “to obey the laws of gravitation”; see gravitate, -ion

Other words from gravitation

  • grav·i·ta·tion·al, adjective
  • non·grav·i·ta·tion, noun
  • non·grav·i·ta·tion·al, adjective
  • su·per·grav·i·ta·tion, noun

Words Nearby gravitation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gravitation in a sentence

  • For instance, a theory of creation which would neglect the attraction of gravitation would be manifestly false.

    Gospel Philosophy | J. H. Ward
  • It was one of the great forces of nature, which we call gravitation, and the force which kept it in motion we call momentum.

  • Clusters of stars may give us velocities much more remarkable still, but which are explained by the theory of gravitation.

    Urania | Camille Flammarion
  • Universal gravitation, invisible force, which the visible universe (what we call matter) obeys.

    Urania | Camille Flammarion

British Dictionary definitions for gravitation

gravitation

/ (ˌɡrævɪˈteɪʃən) /


noun
  1. the force of attraction that bodies exert on one another as a result of their mass

  2. any process or result caused by this interaction, such as the fall of a body to the surface of the earth

  • Also called: gravity

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for gravitation

gravitation

[ grăv′ĭ-tāshən ]


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for gravitation

gravitation

The force, first described mathematically by Isaac Newton, whereby any two objects in the universe are attracted toward each other. Gravitation holds the moon in orbit around the Earth, the planets in orbit around the sun, and the sun in the Milky Way. It also accounts for the fall of objects released near the surface of the Earth. The modern theory of gravitation is the general theory of relativity.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.