Precession
[pri'seʃәn]
Definition
(noun.) the act of preceding in time or order or rank (as in a ceremony).
(noun.) the motion of a spinning body (as a top) in which it wobbles so that the axis of rotation sweeps out a cone.
Inputed by Elsa--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) The act of going before, or forward.
Checker: Lucy
Definition
n. the act of going before: a moving forward.—adj. Preces′sional.—Precession of the equinoxes a slow backward motion of the equinoctial points along the ecliptic caused by the greater attraction of the sun and moon on the excess of matter at the equator such that the times at which the sun crosses the equator come at shorter intervals than they would otherwise do.
Edited by Josie
Examples
- The time of the rising is now, owing to the precession of the equinoxes, different from what it was then (July 1st). Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- And as a third important factor there is what is called the _precession of the equinoxes_. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- They calculated the angle of the ecliptic and the precession of the equinoxes. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
Typed by Jody