nutational

[noo-tey-shuhn, nyoo-]

nu·ta·tion

[noo-tey-shuhn, nyoo-]
noun
1.
an act or instance of nodding one's head, especially involuntarily or spasmodically.
2.
Botany. spontaneous movements of plant parts during growth.
3.
Astronomy. the periodic oscillation observed in the precession of the earth's axis and the precession of the equinoxes.
4.
Mechanics. the variation of the inclination of the axis of a gyroscope to the vertical.

Origin:
1605–15; < Latin nūtātiōn- (stem of nūtātiō), equivalent to nūtāt(us) (past participle of nūtāre to nod repeatedly; nū- nod + -tā- frequentative suffix + -tus past participle ending) + -iōn- -ion; compare numen

nu·ta·tion·al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Nutational is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
Collins
World English Dictionary
nutation (njuːˈteɪʃən)
 
n
1.  astronomy a periodic variation in the precession of the earth's axis causing the earth's poles to oscillate about their mean position
2.  physics a periodic variation in the uniform precession of the axis of any spinning body, such as a gyroscope, about the horizontal
3.  Also called: circumnutation the spiral growth of a shoot, tendril, or similar plant organ, caused by variation in the growth rate in different parts
4.  the act or an instance of nodding the head
 
[C17: from Latin nutātiō, from nūtāre to nod]
 
nu'tational
 
adj

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