whorl

(hwôrl, wôrl, hwûrl, wûrl)

1. A form that coils or spirals; a curl or swirl: spread the icing in peaks and whorls.
2. Botany An arrangement of three or more leaves, petals, or other organs radiating from a single node.
3. Zoology A single turn or volution of a spiral shell.
4. One of the circular ridges or convolutions of a fingerprint.
5. Architecture An ornamental device, as in stonework or weaving, consisting of stylized vine leaves and tendrils.
6. A small flywheel that regulates the speed of a spinning wheel.

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whorl

whorled leaves