An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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The spectral line broadening caused by stellar rotation. Light from two rims of the star will be Doppler shifted in opposite directions, resulting in a line broadening effect. The line broadening depends on the inclination of the star's pole to the line of sight. The derived value is a function of v_e. sini, where v_e is the rotational velocity at the equator and i is the inclination, which is not always known. The fractional width (Δλ/λ) is of the order of 10^-3 for B stars.

→ rotational; → broadening.