WHIRL

spin, twirl, twist, twisting, whirl

(noun) the act of rotating rapidly; “he gave the crank a spin”; “it broke off after much twisting”

crack, fling, go, pass, whirl, offer

(noun) a usually brief attempt; “he took a crack at it”; “I gave it a whirl”

whirl, commotion

(noun) confused movement; “he was caught up in a whirl of work”; “a commotion of people fought for the exits”

whirl, swirl, vortex, convolution

(noun) the shape of something rotating rapidly

spin, spin around, whirl, reel, gyrate

(verb) revolve quickly and repeatedly around one’s own axis; “The dervishes whirl around and around without getting dizzy”

eddy, purl, whirlpool, swirl, whirl

(verb) flow in a circular current, of liquids

whirl, tumble, whirl around

(verb) fly around; “The clothes tumbled in the dryer”; “rising smoke whirled in the air”

whirl, birl, spin, twirl

(verb) cause to spin; “spin a coin”

twirl, swirl, twiddle, whirl

(verb) turn in a twisting or spinning motion; “The leaves swirled in the autumn wind”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

whirl (third-person singular simple present whirls, present participle whirling, simple past and past participle whirled)

(intransitive) To rotate, revolve, spin or turn rapidly.

(intransitive) To have a sensation of spinning or reeling.

(transitive) To make something or someone whirl.

(transitive) To remove or carry quickly with, or as with, a revolving motion; to snatch.

Noun

whirl (plural whirls)

An act of whirling.

Something that whirls.

A confused tumult.

A rapid series of events.

Dizziness or giddiness.

(informal) (usually following “give”) A brief experiment or trial.

Source: Wiktionary

Whirl, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whirled; p. pr. & vb. n. Whirling.] Etym: [OE. whirlen, probably from the Scand.; cf. Icel. & Sw. hvirfla, Dan. hvirvle; akin to D. wervelen, G. wirbeln, freq. of the verb seen in Icel. hverfa to turn. sq. root16. See Wharf, and cf. Warble, Whorl.]

1. To turn round rapidly; to cause to rotate with velocity; to make to revolve. He whirls his sword around without delay. Dryden.

2. To remove or carry quickly with, or as with, a revolving motion; to snatch; to harry. Chaucer. See, see the chariot, and those rushing wheels, That whirled the prophet up at Chebar flood. Milton. The passionate heart of the poet is whirl'd into folly. Tennyson.

Whirl, v. i.

1. To be turned round rapidly; to move round with velocity; to revolve or rotate with great speed; to gyrate. "The whirling year vainly my dizzy eyes pursue." J. H. Newman. The wooden engine flies and whirls about. Dryden.

2. To move hastily or swiftly. But whirled away to shun his hateful sight. Dryden.

Whirl, n. Etym: [Cf. Dan. hvirvel, Sw. hvirfvel, Icel. hvirfill the crown of the head, G. wirbel whirl, crown of the head, D. wervel. See Whirl, v. t.]

1. A turning with rapidity or velocity; rapid rotation or circumvolution; quick gyration; rapid or confusing motion; as, the whirl of a top; the whirl of a wheel. "In no breathless whirl." J. H. Newman. The rapid . . . whirl of things here below interrupt not the inviolable rest and calmness of the noble beings above. South.

2. Anything that moves with a whirling motion. He saw Falmouth under gray, iron skies, and whirls of March dust. Carlyle.

3. A revolving hook used in twisting, as the hooked spindle of a rope machine, to which the threads to be twisted are attached.

4. (Bot. & Zoöl.)

Definition: A whorl. See Whorl.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

WHIRL

Etymology

Verb

Noun

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