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# precession

noun (precession, uncountable)

«precession» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (science) The slow turning of the axis of a spinning object, such as a spinning top or the Earth, so that the axis traces a circle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precession/#m1)
2. (science) The slow change in the direction of Earth's axis, taking about 26,000 years for one circle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precession/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science lessons, a spinning top wobbles in a circle: that is precession. Earth's axis also precesses slowly, so the North Star changes over thousands of years.

### Examples

- A spinning top shows precession when it wobbles. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precession/#x1)
- Because of precession, Polaris will not always be the North Star. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precession/#x2)
- Precession of the Earth's axis takes about 26,000 years. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precession/#x3)
- The gyroscope's precession was slow. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precession/#x4)
- Scientists measure precession with telescopes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precession/#x5)
- Precession changes which stars we see at the pole. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precession/#x6)

### Note

Not «procession» (a line of people walking). Verb: precess.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «precession» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precession/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«precession» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/precession.html) on Mova free.