gimbals
Sometimes gimbal. a contrivance, consisting of a ring or base on an axis, that permits an object, as a ship's compass, mounted in or on it to tilt freely in any direction, in effect suspending the object so that it will remain horizontal even when its support is tipped.
Origin of gimbals
1- Also called gimbal ring .
Words Nearby gimbals
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use gimbals in a sentence
When he opened his eyes he looked up and saw a hanging-lamp that creaked on its gimbals as it swayed to the roll of the schooner.
Blow The Man Down | Holman DayWe both stepped to the open skylight and peered down through it at the barometer, which hung in gimbals from the fore transom.
A Middy of the King | Harry CollingwoodThe meter is in gimbals and is directed by a conical rudder which keeps it facing the stream with its axis horizontal.
When fitted in gimbals, it can be used at sea with much advantage.
A Treatise on Meteorological Instruments | Henry NegrettiTo effect this they are suspended in gimbals by a brass arm.
A Treatise on Meteorological Instruments | Henry Negretti
British Dictionary definitions for gimbals
/ (ˈdʒɪmbəlz, ˈɡɪm-) /
a device, consisting of two or three pivoted rings at right angles to each other, that provides free suspension in all planes for an object such as a gyroscope, compass, chronometer, etc: Also called: gimbal ring
Origin of gimbals
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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