General
rotary
What does rotary mean?
What the rest of the country calls a roundabout or traffic circle. Massachusetts (and parts of the wider Northeast) calls them rotaries — and famously treats them as a vehicular free-for-all where yield signs are merely a suggestion.
"Take the second exit off the rotary, then bear right."
Origin
From 'rotary intersection', the older American engineering term predating the British-import 'roundabout'.
Frequently asked questions
What does rotary mean in Massachusetts?
Rotary is the Massachusetts word for a roundabout — a circular road junction.
How do you use rotary in a sentence?
"Take the second exit off the rotary and you're there."
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