swirl

Meanings

1. To twist or whirl, as an eddy.
2. To be arranged in a twist, spiral or whorl.
3. To circulate.
4. To mingle interracially.

1. A whirling eddy.
2. A twist or coil of something.
3. The upward rushing of a fish through the water to take the bait.
4. Interracial mingling (e.g. dating, sex, marriage, etc.).
5. Synonym of pinwheel (“food product with spiral layers”).

Etymology

From Middle English swirlen (“to eddy, swirl”), probably from Old Norse *svirla (“to swirl”), a frequentative form of Old Norse sverra (“to swing, twirl”). Cognate with Scots swirl, sworl (“to eddy, swirl”), Norwegian Nynorsk svirla (“to whirl around; swirl”), Swedish sorla (“to murmur, buzz”), Dutch zwirrelen (“to swirl”). Compare also West Frisian swiere (“to reel, whirl”), Dutch zwieren (“to reel, swing around”), German Low German swirren (“to whizz, whirl or buzz around”), German schwirren (“to whirr, whizz, buzz”), Swedish svirra (“to whirr about, buzz, hum”), Danish svirre (“to whizz, whirr”). Related to English swarm.