whirl

Meanings

Verb

• To rotate, revolve, spin or turn rapidly.
• To have a sensation of spinning or reeling.
• To make something or someone whirl.
• To remove or carry quickly with, or as with, a revolving motion; to snatch.

Noun

• An act of whirling.
• Something that whirls.
• A confused tumult.
• A rapid series of events.
• Dizziness or giddiness.
• A brief experiment or trial.

Origin

• From Middle English whirlen, contracted from earlier *whervelen, possibly from Old English *hweorflian, frequentative form of Old English hweorfan ("to turn"), itself from Proto-Germanic *hwerbaną ("turn"); or perhaps from Old Norse hvirfla ("to go round, spin"). Cognate with Dutch wervelen ("to whirl, swirl"), German wirbeln ("to whirl, swirl"), Danish hvirvle ("to whirl"), Swedish virvla (older spelling hvirfla), Albanian vorbull ("a whirl"). Related to whirr and wharve.