co·ri·o·lis acceleration \(ˈ)kȯrē|ōlə̇s-\noun Usage: usually capitalized C Etymology: after Gaspard G. Coriolis died 1843 French civil engineer : a quantity that must be added vectorially to the acceleration of a body with respect to another accelerated body to get the true acceleration of the former < Coriolis acceleration applies to the motion of a long-range projectile with respect to the rotating earth >