autorotation

[ aw-toh-roh-tey-shuhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, Aeronautics.

the condition of flight occurring when lift is derived solely from the action of air upon the unpowered rotor of a moving helicopter or autogiro.

autorotation

/ ˌɔːtəʊrəʊˈteɪʃən /

noun

the continuous rotation of a body in an airflow, such as that of the rotor blades of a helicopter in an unpowered descent

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Other Words From

auto·ro·tation·al adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of autorotation¹

First recorded in 1915–20; auto- ¹ + rotation

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Example Sentences

The monocopter is thus equipped with a natural fail-safe, thanks to this ability to descend gracefully in autorotation in the event of a power failure.

From Popular-Science

He allowed his training to take over and skillfully put the machine into an autorotation to prevent a catastrophic nosedive into the mountain.

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autoromantic autoroute

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