Skip to content
Vinony

gyroscope

noun

  1. device for measuring or maintaining orientation and direction
L301334 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒaɪ.ɹəˌskəʊp/ / /ˈd͡ʒaɪ.ɹəˌskoʊp/

noun

Etymology: Borrowed from French gyroscope, coined in 1852 by physicist Leon Foucault, equivalent to gyro- + -scope, from Ancient Greek γῦρος (gûros, “circle”) and σκοπός (skopós, “watcher”).

  1. An apparatus composed of a wheel which spins inside of a frame (gimbal) and causes the balancing of the frame in any direction or position. In the form of a gyroscopic stabilizer, used to help keep aircraft and ships steady.

    “Working with NR, ScotRail and Porterbrook, Perpetuum has fitted sensors with gyroscopes and accelerometers to trains that are already in passenger service.”