whirligig

Meaning

Noun

• Anything that whirls or spins around, such as a toy top or a merry-go-round.
• A device incorporating spinning, wind-driven propellers or pinwheels, used as whimsical outdoor decoration in a garden or on a porch.
• A whirligig beetle.
• A device for punishing prisoners, comprising a wooden cage that rapidly spins around.

Origin

• Middle English whirlegigge.