circumnutation

(ˌsɜkəmnjuːˈteɪʃən)

(Botany) another name for nutation³

[C19: from circum- + -nutate, from Latin nūtāre to nod repeatedly, sway]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

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References in periodicals archive

The growing tip of the stem makes a circular motion, like circumnutation, forming a unidirectional spiral around the support.

Tropical vine growth and the effects on forest succession: a review of the ecology and management of tropical climbing plants

Most of us would not recognize the botanical term "circumnutation," which she describes as the "elliptical motion of twining plants." This basically means that plants twine clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on the species.

Climbing out of the garden. (Gardening)

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