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3 dictionary results for: Vortexes
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
vor·tex       [vawr-teks] Pronunciation Key
–noun, plural -tex·es, -ti·ces       [-tuh-seez] Pronunciation Key.
1.a whirling mass of water, esp. one in which a force of suction operates, as a whirlpool.
2.a whirling mass of air, esp. one in the form of a visible column or spiral, as a tornado.
3.a whirling mass of fire, flame, etc.
4.a state of affairs likened to a whirlpool for violent activity, irresistible force, etc.
5.something regarded as drawing into its powerful current everything that surrounds it: the vortex of war.
6.(in Cartesian philosophy) a rapid rotatory movement of cosmic matter about a center, regarded as accounting for the origin or phenomena of bodies or systems of bodies in space.
[Origin: 1645–55; < L, var. of vertex vertex]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
vor·tex       (vôr'těks')  Pronunciation Key 
n.   pl. vor·tex·es or vor·ti·ces (-tĭ-sēz')
  1. A spiral motion of fluid within a limited area, especially a whirling mass of water or air that sucks everything near it toward its center.
  2. A place or situation regarded as drawing into its center all that surrounds it: "As happened with so many theater actors, he was swept up in the vortex of Hollywood" (New York Times).


[Latin vortex, vortic-, variant of vertex, from vertere, to turn; see wer-2 in Indo-European roots.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
vortex       (vôr'těks')  Pronunciation Key 
Plural vortexes or vortices (vôr'tĭ-sēz')
A circular, spiral, or helical motion in a fluid (such as a gas) or the fluid in such a motion. A vortex often forms around areas of low pressure and attracts the fluid (and the objects moving within it) toward its center. Tornados are examples of vortexes; vortexes that form around flying objects are a source of turbulence and drag. See also eddy.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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