ver·tig·i·nous

[ver-tij-uh-nuhs]
adjective
1.
whirling; spinning; rotary: vertiginous currents of air.
2.
affected with vertigo; dizzy.
3.
liable or threatening to cause vertigo: a vertiginous climb.
4.
apt to change quickly; unstable: a vertiginous economy.

Origin:
1600–10; < Latin vertīginōsus dizzy, equivalent to vertīgin- (stem of vertīgō) vertigo + -ōsus -ous

ver·tig·i·nous·ly, adverb
ver·tig·i·nous·ness, noun
un·ver·tig·i·nous, adjective
un·ver·tig·i·nous·ly, adverb
un·ver·tig·i·nous·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To vertiginous
00:10
Vertiginous is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Collins
World English Dictionary
vertiginous (vɜːˈtɪdʒɪnəs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  of, relating to, or having vertigo
2.  producing dizziness
3.  whirling
4.  changeable; unstable
 
[C17: from Latin vertīginōsus, from vertigo]
 
ver'tiginously
 
adv
 
ver'tiginousness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

vertiginous
1608, "of the nature of vertigo," from Fr. vertigineux, from L. vertiginosus "suffering from dizziness," from vertigo (see vertigo).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

vertiginous ver·tig·i·nous (vər-tĭj'ə-nəs)
adj.

  1. Affected by vertigo; dizzy.

  2. Tending to produce vertigo.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
Transport costs are a small fraction of labor costs, but they are now
  rebounding from a vertiginous plunge over the winter.
Sure enough, their political rise has been vertiginous.
His buildings swoop and soar with vertiginous curves and startling precipices
  that seem to defy gravity.
Vertiginous roads wind along both rims of the canyon, giving you the
  opportunity to pull over at any of several scenic belvederes.
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