whorl meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

whorl

noun

/(h)wɔː(ɹ)l/ · /(h)wɜː(ɹ)l/

Etymology From alteration of whirl (verb).

Each circle, volution or equivalent in a pattern of concentric circles, ovals, arcs, or a spiral.

Biology, Botany, Natural sciences A circle of three or more leaves, flowers, or other organs, about the same part or joint of a stem.

Biology, Natural sciences, Zoology A volution, or turn, of the spire of a univalve shell.

Anatomy, Medicine, Sciences Any volution, as for example in the human ear or fingerprint.

A flywheel, a weight attached to a spindle.

verb

Etymology From alteration of whirl (verb).

To form a pattern of concentric circles.

“Waves Against the Sand,” to music by Martinu, which opened the program, filled the stage space with whorling patterns of dancers surging with the gentle but ceaseless momentum of the sea.2008 February 12, Jennifer Dunning, “Modern Style, Old-Fashioned Virtues”, in New York Times: