gravitation

[grav-i-tey-shuh n] /ˌgræv ɪˈteɪ ʃən/

noun

Physics.

the force of attraction between any two masses.
Compare law of gravitation.
an act or process caused by this force.

a sinking or falling.

a movement or tendency toward something or someone:

the gravitation of people toward the suburbs.

Origin

1635-45; < Neo-Latin gravitātiōn- (stem of gravitātiō). See gravitate, -ion

Related forms

gravitational, adjective

gravitationally, adverb

antigravitation, adjective

antigravitational, adjective

antigravitationally, adverb

nongravitation, noun

nongravitational, adjective

nongravitationally, adverb

supergravitation, noun

ungravitational, adjective

Examples from the web for gravitational

Only the gravitational pull of these galaxies' unseen halos of dark matter holds those stars in.
Approaching next year the galactic gravitational pull will again reach a cycle of many thousands of years.
The bars are thought to be the product of gravitational density waves that pull gases in toward the galaxy's center.
Here's a guide to their gravitational pull for fall and winter.
According to their theoretical work, a change in the gravitational potential should also influence the rate of matter swapping.
For this activity, they are looking at the gravitational interaction.
As mysterious as dark energy and dark matter, dark flow may be the gravitational pull of other universes.
It took five decades to develop the technologies to build gyroscopes sensitive enough to see gravitational effects.
Despite its reduced scope, the hypertext dream still possessed a powerful gravitational field.
He believes the gravitational tugs of the moon, sun, and other planets can influence earthquake activity.

British Dictionary definitions for gravitational

gravitation

/ˌɡrævɪˈteɪʃən/

noun

the force of attraction that bodies exert on one another as a result of their mass

any process or result caused by this interaction, such as the fall of a body to the surface of the earth

gravitational

/ˌɡrævɪˈteɪʃənəl/

adjective

of, relating to, or involving gravitation

Derived Forms

gravitationally, adverb

Word Origin and History for gravitational

gravitation

1640s in physics sense, also figurative, from Modern Latin gravitationem (nominative gravitatio), noun of action from past participle stem of gravitare (see gravitate). Related: Gravitational.

gravitational in Medicine

gravitation grav·i·ta·tion (grāv'ĭ-tā'shən)
n.

The natural phenomenon of attraction between massive bodies.
The act or process of moving under the influence of this attraction.
A movement toward a source of attraction.

gravitational in Science

gravitation

(grāv'ĭ-tā'shən)
See gravity.

gravitational in Culture

gravitation definition

The force, first described mathematically by Isaac Newton, whereby any two objects in the universe are attracted toward each other. Gravitation holds the moon in orbit around the Earth, the planets in orbit around the sun, and the sun in the Milky Way. It also accounts for the fall of objects released near the surface of the Earth. The modern theory of gravitation is the general theory of relativity.