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View synonyms for whorl
whorl
[ wawrl, wurl, hwawrl, hwurl ]
noun
- a circular arrangement of like parts, as leaves or flowers, around a point on an axis; verticil.
- one of the turns or volutions of a spiral shell.
- anything shaped like a coil.
- one of the central ridges of a fingerprint, forming at least one complete circle.
- Textiles. a flywheel or pulley, as for a spindle.
whorl
/ wɜːl /
whorl
/ hwôrl,wôrl,hwûrl,wûrl /
- 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.
- A single turn of a spiral shell of a mollusk.
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Derived Forms
- whorled, adjective
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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
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Word History and Origins
Origin of whorl1
C15: probably variant of wherville whirl , influenced by Dutch worvel
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Example Sentences
Fig. 66 shows a biconical whorl, and its top is decorated to represent three Swastikas and three burning altars.
From Project Gutenberg
The centers of the crosses are occupied by the central hole of the whorl, while the arms extend to the periphery.
From Project Gutenberg
The specimen represented in fig. 76 is not a spindle-whorl, as shown by the number and location of the holes.
From Project Gutenberg
The whorl shown in fig. 45 is nearly spherical, with two Swastikas in the upper part.
From Project Gutenberg
In this collection is a spindle-whorl, found at 13½ feet (4 meters) depth and belonging to the fourth city.
From Project Gutenberg
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