spinward

Syllables: spin·ward/ˈspɪnwɜ(ɹ)d/

spinward adverb: in a rotating reference frame, along the direction of spin.

Adverb

spinward (comparative more spinward, superlative most spinward)

(often) In a rotating reference frame, along the direction of spin.
- It was half-daylight; the shadow of the terminator was coming in from spinward like a black curtain.1970 October, Larry Niven, Ringworld, New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, →ISBN
- Edna's language was peppered with the unfamiliar. You found your way around a spinning space habitat by going spinward or antispinward or axisward ...2007, Arthur C. Clarke with Stephen Baxter, Firstborn [A Time Odyssey; 3], New York, N.Y.: Del Rey Books; Ballantine Books, →ISBN

spinward adv. in or toward the direction that something (a space station, galaxy, etc.) is rotating.2007, Jeff Prucher, editor, Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page...
"[…] You would fall against the anti-spinward wall and slide down along that wall until you hit the floor ..." / "Whoa, whoa, whoa ..." Lars interrupted.2015, Steven Burgauer, Skullcap, Bloomington, Ind.: iUniverse, →ISBN:

comparative	more spinward
superlative	most spinward

From spin + -ward.

What does spinward mean?: Spinward means in a rotating reference frame, along the direction of spin.
How do you use spinward in a sentence?: spinward adv. in or toward the direction that something (a space station, galaxy, etc.) is rotating.
What part of speech is spinward?: Spinward is an adverb.
How do you pronounce spinward?: Spinward is pronounced /ˈspɪnwɜ(ɹ)d/.

Adapted from Wiktionary: spinward (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this entry: “spinward.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/spinward. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.