In aviation, rotation refers to the action of applying back pressure to a control device, such as a yoke

Yoke (aircraft)

A yoke, alternatively known as control column, is a device used for piloting in most fixed-wing aircraft.- Principle :The aviator uses the yoke to control the attitude of the plane, usually in both pitch and roll. Rotating the control wheel controls the ailerons and the roll axis...

, side-stick

Side-stick

A side-stick or sidestick controller is an aircraft control column that is located on the side console of the pilot, usually on the righthand side, or outboard on a two-seat flightdeck...

 or centre stick

Centre stick

A centre stick , or simply control stick is an aircraft cockpit arrangement where the control column is located conventionally in the centre of the cockpit between the pilot's legs...

, to lift the nose wheel off the ground during the takeoff

Takeoff

Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle goes from the ground to flying in the air.For horizontal takeoff aircraft this usually involves starting with a transition from moving along the ground on a runway. For balloons, helicopters and some specialized fixed-wing aircraft , no...

 roll. Proper rotation is important for safety reasons and to decrease takeoff distance.
This is when the aircraft lifts up from the runway and takes off whenever it reaches the maximum proper takeoff speed for a safe takeoff, which is called the V_R

V speeds

In aviation, V-speeds are standard terms used to define airspeeds important or useful to the operation of all aircraft including fixed-wing aircraft, gliders, autogiros, helicopters, and dirigibles...

speed.