transitive verb

1. to wind or twist (esp. hair) into ringlets or coils
2. to cause to roll over or bend around
3. to raise the upper corner of (the lip), as in showing contempt or scorn

Etymology: ME curlen, by metathesis < crullen, to curl, bend, twist < crul, curly, akin to Du krul < Gmc *kruzla < IE *greu-s < base *ger-: see cradle

intransitive verb

1. to form curls; become curled
2. to assume a spiral or curved shape
3. to move in spirals; undulate
4. to play the game of curling

noun

1. a little coil of hair; ringlet
2. anything with a spiral or curled shape; any coil
3. a curling or being curled
4. any of various diseases of plants in which the leaves curl up
5. an exercise in which a weight or other resistance is pulled upward in a curl-like motion by a fully extended arm or leg