gimbal

1 of 2

noun

gim·​bal ˈgim-bəl How to pronounce gimbal (audio) ˈjim- How to pronounce gimbal (audio)
: a device that permits a body to incline freely in any direction or suspends it so that it will remain level when its support is tipped
usually used in plural

called also gimbal ring

gimbal

2 of 2

verb

gimballed or gimbaled; gimballing or gimbaling

transitive verb

: to provide with or support on gimbals

Did you know?

One place you might encounter gimbals is on a ship, where they are used to keep compasses and other things level with the horizon in contrast to the pitch and roll of the vessel at sea. The word gimbal is an alteration of "gemel," a word for a type of finger-ring popular in the 16th century that could be divided into two separate rings. The word comes from Anglo-French gemel ("twin"), which in turn comes from Latin gemellus, a diminutive of "geminus," the Latin word for "twin."

Examples of gimbal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
That gimbal automatically maintains the phone's horizontal axis while shooting handheld video, helping to smooth out the footage. Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 11 Sep. 2024 So, anytime there was a moment where the shuttle crashes against the station, the whole gimbal would shake. Christian Holub, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2024
Verb
Much of what has made DJI gimbals great remains in the Osmo Mobile 3, but the company made this device more compact and more affordable at $119. Valentina Palladino and Jeff Dunn, Ars Technica, 20 Nov. 2019 See all Example Sentences for gimbal 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gimbal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

alteration of obsolete gemel double ring, from Middle English, from Anglo-French gemel, jomel, from Latin gemellus, diminutive of geminus

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1780, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1875, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gimbal was circa 1780

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Cite this Entry

“Gimbal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gimbal. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

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