Plain English Meaning

A ring inside the attitude indicator that lets the spinning gyro tilt up and down freely, so the instrument can show whether the nose is pointing above or below the horizon.

Full Definition

The pivoting frame inside an attitude indicator that allows the gyro assembly to tilt freely around the lateral (pitch) axis, so the instrument can sense and display the aircraft's nose-up or nose-down attitude relative to the horizon.

Context Anchor

Seen in diagrams and explanations of the attitude indicator, especially when learning how the instrument uses a gyro to show pitch and bank.

Derivation

' comes from the Old French 'gemel,' meaning 'twin' or 'paired ring.' Gimbals are pivoting rings that allow an object mounted inside them to or move freely while the outer structure around it. 'Pitch' here refers to the aircraft's nose-up/ motion, so the pitch gimbal is the ring that handles that axis of movement.