whorl Hear it!

whorl definition

whorl (hwôrl, hwʉrl)

noun

  1. a small flywheel on a spindle, as for regulating the speed of a spinning wheel
  2. anything with a coiled or spiral appearance; specif.,
    1. any of the circular ridges that form the design of a fingerprint
    2. Bot. a circular growth of leaves, petals, etc. about the same point on a stem
    3. Zool. any of the turns in a spiral shell

Etymology: ME whorwyl, dial. var. of wherwille, whirl

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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