Standard Lemma guide

precession

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P R IY0 S EH1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Precedence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • But as it will not do to talk entirely at random, as Montaigne does, and Ralph Waldo Emerson tries to do, we must take up some little thread or threads. and string our thoughts thereupon, keeping up also a relation among them of precession and succession.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The wobbling motion of the axis of a spinning body when there is an external force acting on the axis.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The slow gyration of the earth's axis around the pole of the ecliptic, caused mainly by the gravitational torque of the sun and moon.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Any of several slow changes in an astronomical body's rotational or orbital parameters.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

the act of preceding in time or order or rank (as in a ceremony)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: precedence, precedency

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: activity

6

noun

Meaning 6

the motion of a spinning body (as a top) in which it wobbles so that the axis of rotation sweeps out a cone

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: motion

History

Etymology

From Middle English precessioun, precession, from Medieval Latin prēcessiōn-, prēcessio, from Latin praecēdō.

Across languages

Translations

34 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: напредване (napredvane) — precedence
  • Czech: předcházení — precedence
  • Finnish: etusija — precedence
  • Czech: precese — physics term
  • Dutch: precessie — physics term
  • Finnish: prekessio — physics term
  • German: Präzession — physics term
  • Greek: μετάπτωση (metáptosi) — physics term
  • Ancient Greek: μετάπτωσις (metáptōsis) — physics term
  • Norwegian: presesjon — physics term
  • Polish: precesja — physics term
  • Russian: преце́ссия (precéssija) — physics term
  • Spanish: precesión — physics term
  • Bulgarian: прецесия (precesija) — astronomical term
  • Chinese Mandarin: 進動 /进动 (jìndòng) — astronomical term
  • Chinese Mandarin: 旋進 /旋进 (xuánjìn) — astronomical term
  • Chinese Mandarin: 歲差 /岁差 (suìchā) — astronomical term
  • Czech: precese — astronomical term
  • Dutch: precessie — astronomical term
  • Finnish: prekessio — astronomical term
  • French: précession — astronomical term
  • German: Präzession — astronomical term
  • Greek: μετάπτωση (metáptosi) — astronomical term
  • Ancient Greek: μετάπτωσις (metáptōsis) — astronomical term
  • Hungarian: precesszió — astronomical term
  • Hungarian: előrehaladás (állócsillagoké) — astronomical term
  • Irish: luainíocht — astronomical term
  • Japanese: 歳差 (saisa) — astronomical term
  • Japanese: 歳差運動 (saisa undou) — astronomical term
  • Japanese: 首振り運動 (kubifuri undou) — astronomical term
  • Kazakh: прецессия (presessiä) — astronomical term
  • Korean: 세차 (secha) — astronomical term
  • Polish: precesja — astronomical term
  • Russian: преце́ссия (precéssija) — astronomical term