whorl

[ wawrl, wurl, hwawrl, hwurl ]

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.

whorl

/ wɜːl /

noun

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. one of the basic patterns of the human fingerprint, formed by several complete circular ridges one inside another Compare arch 1 loop 1
4. anything shaped like a coil

whorl

/ hwôrl,wôrl,hwûrl,wûrl /

1. An arrangement of three or more appendages radiating in a circular or spiral arrangement from a point on a plant, as leaves around the node of a stem. The sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels of angiosperms form four separate whorls within a complete flower.
2. A single turn of a spiral shell of a mollusk.

Derived Forms

• whorled, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of whorl¹

1425–75; late Middle English whorle, whorvil, wharwyl, Old English hwyrfel, equivalent to hweorfa whorl of a spindle + -el noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of whorl¹

C15: probably variant of wherville whirl , influenced by Dutch worvel

Example Sentences

The team also noted oddities in the tissue, such as a small number of axons that formed extensive whorls.

From Science Daily

Photographic series he made there, like “Westtexaspsychosculpture,” depict forlorn whorls of fencing-wire debris that look like uncanny mimics of Wool’s own writhing scribbles, and which inspired scaled-up versions cast in bronze.

From New York Times

Though these grafts developed successfully at first, over time the well-defined topography of the ear -- its familiar ridges, curves, and whorls -- were lost.

From Science Daily

Now he had a permanent record of the highly specific whorls and ridges.

From Literature

It beats staring into the whorl of a spiral-cut ham and wondering how things might have been different.

From New York Times