Nearby Words
noun
1.
a circular arrangement of like parts, as leaves or flowers, around a point on an axis; verticil.
2.
one of the turns or volutions of a spiral shell.
3.
anything shaped like a coil.
4.
one of the central ridges of a fingerprint, forming at least one complete circle.
5.
Textiles. a flywheel or pulley, as for a spindle.
Origin:
1425–75; late Middle English whorle, whorvil, wharwyl, Old English hwyrfel, equivalent to hweorfa whorl of a spindle + -el noun suffix
1425–75; late Middle English whorle, whorvil, wharwyl, Old English hwyrfel, equivalent to hweorfa whorl of a spindle + -el noun suffix
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Whorl
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
| whorl (wɜːl) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | botany a radial arrangement of three or more petals, stamens, leaves, etc, around a stem |
| 2. | zoology a single turn in a spiral shell |
| 3. | arch Compare loop one of the basic patterns of the human fingerprint, formed by several complete circular ridges one inside another |
| 4. | anything shaped like a coil |
| [C15: probably variant of wherville | |
| whorled | |
| —adj | |
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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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
whorl
c.1460, "flywheel or pulley on a spindle," perhaps an alteration of whirl. Meaning "circle of leaves or flowers round a stem of a plant" is first recorded 1551. Of seashells or other spiral structures, from 1828.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
whorl (wôrl, wûrl)
n.
A form that coils or spirals; a curl or swirl.
A turn of the cochlea or of the ethmoidal crest.
An area of hair growing in a radial manner.
One of the circular ridges or convolutions of a fingerprint.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
whorl  (hwôrl, wôrl, hwûrl, wûrl) Pronunciation Key
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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