yaw
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What is the definition and basic usage of the word “yaw”?
It's the word of the day for july fourteenth. Today's word is yaw spelled Y A W. Yaw is a verb. When it's used for the action of a ship, aircraft, spacecraft, or projectile, it means to move to the left or right, especially in an uncontrolled manner.
How is “yaw” used in aviation and space contexts?
More broadly, yaw is used as a synonym of alternate to mean to change from one to another repeatedly. Here's the word used in a sentence from time. The out of control motion radiated down to the spacecraft itself, which began yawing and pitching in response to the force. In the heyday of large sailing ships, numerous nautical words appeared on the horizon.
What is the historical origin of “yaw” and its nautical roots?
Yaw is one such word. Its origin isn't exactly known, but it began turning up in print in the sixteenth century, first as a noun meaning movement off course or side to side movement, and then as a verb. For centuries it remained a sailing word, often alongside pitch, to have the front end rise and fall, with occasional extended use as the as a synonym of the verb alternate.
Why do modern pilots and rocket scientists still use the terms yaw, pitch, and roll?
When the era of airplane flight dawned, much of the vocabulary of sailing found new life in aeronautics, and yawing was no longer confined to the sea. Nowadays, yaw, pitch, and roll are just as likely to be used by pilots and rocket scientists to describe the motion of their crafts. With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski. Visit MarionWebster dot com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the definition and basic usage of the word “yaw”?
0:06–0:27
2
How is “yaw” used in aviation and space contexts?
0:27–0:53
3
What is the historical origin of “yaw” and its nautical roots?
0:53–1:21
4
Why do modern pilots and rocket scientists still use the terms yaw, pitch, and roll?
1:21–1:54