ro·ta·to·ry

[roh-tuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]
adjective
1.
pertaining to or of the nature of rotation: rotatory motion.
2.
rotating, as an object.
3.
passing or following in rotation or succession.
4.
causing rotation, as a muscle.
Origin:
1745–55; < Neo-Latin rotātōrius, equivalent to Latin rotā(re) (see rotate1) + -tōrius -tory1

Related forms
un·ro·ta·to·ry, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To rotatory
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Rotatory is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
rotatory or rotative (ˈrəʊtətərɪ, -trɪ, ˈrəʊtətɪv) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—adj
of, relating to, possessing, or causing rotation
 
rotative or rotative
 
—adj
 
'rotatively or rotative
 
—adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

rotatory ro·ta·to·ry (rō'tə-tôr'ē)
adj.

  1. Of, relating to, causing, or characterized by rotation.

  2. Occurring or proceeding in alternation or succession.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
Determination of secondary structures of proteins by circular dichroism and optical rotatory dispersion.
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