dictionary definitions for "gravitation"


From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:

  gravitation
      n 1: (physics) the force of attraction between all masses in the
           universe; especially the attraction of the earth's mass
           for bodies near its surface; "the more remote the body
           the less the gravity"; "the gravitation between two
           bodies is proportional to the product of their masses
           and inversely proportional to the square of the distance
           between them"; "gravitation cannot be held responsible
           for people falling in love"--Albert Einstein [syn:
           gravity, gravitational attraction, {gravitational
           force}]
      2: movement downward resulting from gravitational attraction;
         "irrigation by gravitation rather than by pumps" [ant:
         levitation]
      3: a figurative movement toward some attraction; "the
         gravitation of the middle class to the suburbs"

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Gravitation \Grav"i*ta"tion\, n. [Cf. F. gravitation. See
     Gravity.]
     1. The act of gravitating.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Pysics) 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.
        [1913 Webster]


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