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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

whorl Related Forms
whorled adjective
whorl Synonyms

whorl

n.

twirl, twist, spiral; see coil.

whorl Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • flower: A close-up of a whorl of flowers is shown on the right.
  • branch: All had the unique straight stems with whorls of branches at regular intervals.
  • leave: In general shape they resemble palm trees, with a thick central stem and a whorl of huge leaves at the top.
  • hair: Whorl Generally speaking a whorl is a circular or spiral feature, like a whorl of hair, or the spiral pattern in fingerprints.

Converse of object

  • have: We often have 5-8 whorls of flowers over the season.
  • produce: The erect, flowering stems appear from July to late autumn and produce dense whorls of lilac flowers with a strong and pungent smell.
  • make: Spindle Whorl A spindle whorl made from the top of a cow's leg bone.

Adjective modifier

  • dense: The erect, flowering stems appear from July to late autumn and produce dense whorls of lilac flowers with a strong and pungent smell.
  • outer: The ' trumpet ' is often a darker yellow and nearly as long as the outer whorl of petals.
  • tiny: There is a large degraded Kufic inscription around the interior walls, reserved in white against a background of tiny luster whorls.

Modifies a noun

  • snail: Each species of whorl snail has its own characteristic pattern of ' teeth ' inside the opening of the shell.

Noun used with modifier

  • spindle: The archeologists found spindle whorls which are used to make the end of a long stick, or spindle, heavier.
  • leaf: Its four-petalled flowers, which arise from the base of the leaf whorls, bloom above the water surface typically in June-September.

Browse dictionary entries near whorl

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