whorl

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Each circle, volution or equivalent in a pattern of concentric circles, ovals, arcs, or a spiral.
  2. A circle of three or more leaves, flowers, or other organs, about the same part or joint of a stem.
  3. A volution, or turn, of the spire of a univalve shell.
  4. Any volution, as for example in the human ear or fingerprint.
  5. A flywheel, a weight attached to a spindle.
verb
  1. To form a pattern of concentric circles.

Pronunciation

wôrl wûrl /(h)wɔː(ɹ)l/ /(h)wɜː(ɹ)l/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-whorl.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-whorl2.wav

Word forms

whorl whorls whorling whorled

Etymology

From alteration of whirl (verb).

Derived words

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.