Standard Lemma guide

rotor

noun · 10 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.

  • UK: /ˈɹəʊ.tə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈɹoʊ.tɚ/
  • /ˈɹoʊ.tə/ US, non-rhotic
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with (UK) -əʊtə
  • homophone: rota
  • homophone: Rota (non-rhotic)
  • homophone: Rhoda (non-rhotic, flapping)
  • CMU ARPABET: R OW1 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A rotating part of a mechanical device; for example, in an electric motor, generator, alternator, or pump.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A rotating part of a mechanical device; for example, in an electric motor, generator, alternator, or pump.

In a disc brake, the metal disc attached to the wheel hub.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: automotive, cycling, hobbies, lifestyle, sports, transport, vehicles

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A rotating part of a mechanical device; for example, in an electric motor, generator, alternator, or pump.

The wing of a helicopter or other rotary wing aircraft (e.g., heli-type drone).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: aeronautics, aerospace, aviation, business, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rotary wing

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A type of powerful horizontal-axis atmospheric vortex generated by the interaction of strong winds with mountainous terrain.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: climatology, meteorology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A quantity having magnitude, direction, and position.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: algebra, mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

The set of cells within an oscillator that switch between being alive and dead over the course of the oscillator's period.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: cellular-automata, computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

An amusement park and carnival ride consisting of a rotating cylindrical chamber in which centrifugal force adheres riders to the wall as the floor drops away, creating a sensation of defying gravity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

rotating mechanism consisting of an assembly of rotating airfoils

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • there are horizontal rotors on a helicopter or compressor rotors in a jet engine

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rotating mechanism

Narrower terms: main rotor, tail rotor, anti-torque rotor

9

noun

Meaning 9

the rotating armature of a motor or generator

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rotor coil

Antonyms: stator

Broader terms: armature

10

noun

Meaning 10

the revolving bar of a distributor

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: bar

History

Etymology

From an irregular clipping of rotator, originally in mathematics, coined by English mathematician and philosopher William Kingdon Clifford based on vector, see quotations. Doublet of rota and ruote.

Across languages

Translations

41 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: عَمُود نَاقِل الْحَرَكَة (ʕamūd nāqil al-ḥaraka) — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Basque: errotore — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Bulgarian: ротор (rotor) — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Chinese Mandarin: 轉子 /转子 (zhuànzǐ) — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Czech: rotor — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Finnish: roottori — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Finnish: pyörijä — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • French: rotor — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • German: Rotor — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Greek: δρομέας (droméas) — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Italian: rotore — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Japanese: ローター (rōtā) — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Japanese: 回転子 (kaitenshi) — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Macedonian: ротор (rotor) — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Māori: paetāwhirowhiro — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Norwegian: rotor — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Polish: wirnik — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Polish: rotor — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Portuguese: rotor — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Romanian: rotor — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Russian: ро́тор (rótor) — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Serbo-Croatian: ротор — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Serbo-Croatian: rotor — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Spanish: rotor — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Tagalog: painog — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Ukrainian: ро́тор (rótor) — a rotating part of a mechanical device
  • Bulgarian: ротор (rotor) — the wing of a helicopter or similar
  • Bulgarian: перка (perka) — the wing of a helicopter or similar
  • Chinese Mandarin: 旋翼 (xuányì) — the wing of a helicopter or similar
  • Chinese Mandarin: 主旋翼 (zhǔ xuányì) — the wing of a helicopter or similar
  • Finnish: roottori — the wing of a helicopter or similar
  • German: Hauptrotor — the wing of a helicopter or similar
  • Italian: rotore — the wing of a helicopter or similar
  • Italian: pala — the wing of a helicopter or similar
  • Polish: wirnik — the wing of a helicopter or similar
  • Polish: śmigło — the wing of a helicopter or similar
  • Portuguese: hélice — the wing of a helicopter or similar
  • Romanian: elice — the wing of a helicopter or similar
  • Russian: ро́тор (rótor) — the wing of a helicopter or similar
  • Russian: несу́щий винт (nesúščij vint) — the wing of a helicopter or similar
  • Spanish: hélice — the wing of a helicopter or similar
Real reading context

rotor in complete knowledge articles