gyre

[ jahyuhr ]

noun

1. a ring or circle.
2. a circular course or motion.
3. Oceanography. a ringlike system of ocean currents rotating clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.

gyre

/ dʒaɪə /

noun

1. a circular or spiral movement or path
2. a ring, circle, or spiral

verb

1. intr to whirl

gyre

/ jīr /

1. A spiral oceanic surface current driven primarily by the global wind system and constrained by the continents surrounding the three ocean basins (Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian). Each ocean basin has a large gyre in the subtropical region, centered around 30° north and south latitude. Smaller gyres occur at 50° north latitude in the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The direction of a gyre's rotation is determined by the prevailing winds in the region, with the large subtropical gyres rotating clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.

Other Words From

• sub·gyre noun
• super·gyre noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of gyre¹

1560–70; < Latin gȳrus < Greek gŷros ring, circle

Word History and Origins

Origin of gyre¹

C16: from Latin gӯrus circle, from Greek guros

Example Sentences

The gyre, which lies between Hawaii and California, is formed by rotating ocean currents and has, over the past 50 plus years, become a reservoir for plastic litter of all sizes.

From Popular-Science

Side 2 sends Barnes into the twisty, noisy gyre of a 12-minute track called “The Past Is a Grotesque Animal.”

From Time

By staying within the gyre, vulnerable young sea turtles can remain relatively safe.

From Nautilus

Likewise, where the gyre glances off the coast of Africa and returns to the Americas, a second current flowing the opposite direction continues south past the equator and away from the rest of the population.

From Nautilus

The extremely slow collection of organic material and other sediments below a gyre does allow oxygen in the water to seep deep into the sediment.

From Science News For Students

Yet with the tsunami debris joining the gyre, the problem is compounding more quickly than anyone can measure.

From The Daily Beast

Dorsally, the fissure bifurcates, embracing the gyre indented by the caudal limb of the paracentral.

From Project Gutenberg

Ay, and the elves and gyre-carlings frae the bonnie bairn, grace be wi' it?

From Project Gutenberg

Gyre (derived from Gayour or Giaour, a dog), “to scratch like a dog.”

From Project Gutenberg