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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

aswirl en · ADV

Pronunciation

  • /əˈswɜː(ɹ)l/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Hellenic *ə- Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-)der. English a- English swirl English aswirl From a- + swirl.

Meanings

  1. (not-comparable) Swirling; in a swirl; full of or surrounded by something swirling.
    • The air was aswirl with screaming gulls. 1993, Kim Stanley Robinson, Green Mars, New York: Bantam, Part 1:
    • snow’s aswirl like the ashes from burnt-out celestial wards, 1983, Joseph Brodsky, “Lithuanian Nocturne”, in To Urania, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, page 8:
    • A burst of cloudy topsails Go blowing swiftly by, With the stars aswirl behind them Like bright dust down the sky. 1922, DuBose Heyward, Hervey Allen, “The Pirates”, in Carolina Chansons, New York: Macmillan, page 30:
    • An ebullient woman aswirl in colorful layers of bargain-basement clothes and zany hats, Barbara Siegel also happens to be chairwoman of the Drama Desk nominating committee. 2007 January 19, Stephen Holden, “A Producer for All Seasons (Also Juggles)”, in New York Times: