Nutate means to nod the head, oscillate while rotating, or move in a curving or circular fashion.
Nutate significa acenar com a cabeça, oscilar enquanto gira ou mover-se de forma curvilínea.
| Front | nutate \NOO-tayt, NYOO-\ |
|---|---|
| Back | verb intr. 1. To nod the head. 2. To oscillate while rotating (as an astronomical body). 3. To move in a curving or circular fashion (as a plant stem, leaf, etc.). [Back-formation from nutation, from Latin nutare (to nod repeatedly), frequentative of -nuere (to nod), from numen (nod of the head, command, divine will). Earliest documented use: 1880.] "Down she slides not wanting to lose consciousness, chin nutating into bosom, yet straining in her mind to stay present." - Forrest Gander; As A Friend; New Directions; 2008. "In pubs across the land, the customers speak of little else but lunar nutation, especially since the moon is nutating at this very moment." - Tom Shields; Fur Coats and No Moral Fibre?; The Sunday Herald (Glasgow, Scotland); Oct 1, 2006. "Tendrils of pea plants nutate in the air and when come in contact of any support, they coil around it." - Competition Science Vision; Apr 1999. |
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