gravitation

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: grav=i=ta=tion

CIDE DICTIONARY

gravitation, n. [Cf. F. gravitation. See Gravity.].

•  The act of gravitating.  [1913 Webster]
•  That species of attraction or force by which all bodies or particles of matter in the universe tend toward each other; called also attraction of gravitation, universal gravitation, and universal gravity. See Attraction, and Weight.  [1913 Webster]

Law of gravitation, that law in accordance with which gravitation acts, namely, that every two bodies or portions of matter in the universe attract each other with a force proportional directly to the quantity of matter they contain, and inversely to the squares of their distances.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

gravitation, n. Physics 1 a force of attraction between any particle of matter in the universe and any other.
2 the effect of this, esp. the falling of bodies to the earth.

Etymology

mod.L gravitatio (as GRAVITY)

DEVIL DICTIONARY

gravitation

n. The tendency of all bodies to approach one another with a strength proportion to the quantity of matter they contain -- the quantity of matter they contain being ascertained by the strength of their tendency to approach one another. This is a lovely and edifying illustration of how science, having made A the proof of B, makes B the proof of A.

THESAURUS

gravitation

G, G suit, adduction, affinity, allurement, apogeotropism, attractance, attraction, attractiveness, attractivity, capillarity, capillary attraction, cascade, cataract, centripetal force, chute, collapse, comedown, crash, debacle, declension, declination, defluxion, descending, descension, descent, down, downbend, downcome, downcurve, downfall, downflow, downgrade, downpour, downrush, downtrend, downturn, downward trend, drag, draw, drop, dropping, fall, falling, geotropism, graviton, gravity, inclination, magnetism, mass, mutual attraction, plummeting, pounce, pull, pulling power, rapids, specific gravity, stoop, swoop, sympathy, traction, tug, waterfall

ROGET THESAURUS

gravitation

Gravity

N gravity, gravitation, weight, heaviness, specific gravity, pondorosity, pressure, load, burden, burthen, ballast, counterpoise, lump of, mass of, weight of, lead, millstone, mountain, Ossa on Pelion, weighing, ponderation, trutination, weights, avoirdupois weight, troy weight, apothecaries' weight, grain, scruple, drachma, ounce, pound, lb, arroba, load, stone, hundredweight, cwt, ton, long ton, metric ton, quintal, carat, pennyweight, tod, gram, centigram, milligram, microgram, kilogram, nanogram, picogram, femtogram, attogram, balance, scale, scales, steelyard, beam, weighbridge, spring balance, piezoelectric balance, analytical balance, two-pan balance, one-pan balance, postal scale, baby scale, statics, weighty, weighing, heavy as lead, ponderous, ponderable, lumpish, lumpy, cumbersome, burdensome, cumbrous, unwieldy, massive, incumbent, superincumbent.