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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Gyroscope \Gy"ro*scope\ (j[imac]"r[-o]*sk[=o]p), n. [Gr. gy^ros
ring, circle -scope.]
1. A rotating wheel, mounted in a ring or rings, for
illustrating the dynamics of rotating bodies, the
composition of rotations, etc. It was devised by Professor
W. R. Johnson, in 1832, by whom it was called the
{rotascope}.
[1913 Webster]

2. A form of the above apparatus, invented by M. Foucault,
mounted so delicately as to render visible the rotation of
the earth, through the tendency of the rotating wheel to
preserve a constant plane of rotation, independently of
the earth's motion.
[1913 Webster]