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gyre Definition

gyre (jīr)

noun

  1. a circular or spiral motion; whirl; revolution
  2. a circular or spiral form; ring or vortex

Etymology: L gyrus < Gr gyros, a circle: see gyrate

intransitive verb, transitive verb gyred, gyr·ing

Old Poet. to whirl

gyre Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • subpolar: Water in the subpolar gyre cooled between the two 20-year periods due to the decrease in surface heat input.
  • subtropical: However, if no relaxation is applied, the model shows 5° of surface warming over 5 years in the subtropical gyre.
  • oligotrophic: This implies that the food web structure and primary productivity are uncoupled in the oligotrophic gyres.
  • sub-tropical: The main focus of the project is the sub-tropical gyre.
  • tidal: These include local wave climate; sources of sediment feed and the role of coastline orientation in creating an anticlockwise tidal gyre.
  • Atlantic: They then aim to investigate the relationship between primary production and community structure within the Atlantic sub-tropical gyres.

Modifies a noun

  • circulation: Need to identify relative importance of overturning versus gyre circulation.
  • component: Similarly with heat transport, the gyre component varies little seasonally whereas the overturning part varies much more.

Noun used with modifier

  • ocean: AMT sampling covers almost the entire gradient of oceanic productivity from oligotrophic ocean gyres to seasonally high productive high latitude and equatorial upwelling waters.
  • sub-polar: This propagates around the Pacific sub-polar gyre and warms up whole gyre.
gyre Quotes

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. 'Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!'

—Dodgson

Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. SeeAchebe 2:18.

—Yeats,W(illiam) B(utler)

Browse dictionary entries near gyre

  1. gyration
  2. gyrate
  3. gyral
  4. gypsy moth
  5. gypsy cab
  6. Gypsy
  7. gypsum
  8. gypsophila
  9. gypsiferous
  10. gypseous
  1. gyrene
  2. gyrfalcon
  3. gyro
  4. gyro horizon
  5. gyro-
  6. gyrocompass
  7. gyromagnetic
  8. gyropilot
  9. gyroplane
  10. gyroscope