whirl en · VERB · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ʍɜːl/ without the wine–whine merger, non-rhotic
- /ˈʍɪɾ(ə̯)l/ (Ireland, Scotland)
- wûrl (General-American) h
- /(h)wɝl/ (General-American)
- /wɜːl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From Middle English whirlen, contracted from earlier *whirvelen, *whervelen, possibly from Old English *hwyrflian, *hweorflian (attested in hwirflung, hwerflung (“change, vicissitude”)), frequentative form of Old English hweorfan (“to turn”), itself from Proto-West Germanic *hwerban, from Proto-Germanic *hwerbaną (“to 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.
Meanings
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(intransitive) To rotate, revolve, spin or turn rapidly.
The dancer whirled across the stage, stopped, and whirled around to face the audience.
The house whirled around two or three times and rose slowly through the air. Dorothy felt as if she were going up in a balloon.
1900 May 17, L[yman] Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Geo[rge] M[elvin] Hill Co., →OCLC:
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(intransitive) To have a sensation of spinning or reeling.
My brained ^([sic]) whirled as he went on, but yet there was a fearful impression that the worst was not told.
1861, E. J. Guerin, Mountain Charley, page 13:My head is whirling after all that drink.
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(transitive) To make something or someone whirl.
He whirls his sword around without delay.
1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:The dancer whirled his partner round on her toes.
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(transitive) To remove or carry quickly with, or as with, a revolving motion; to snatch.
The passionate heart of the poet is whirl’d into folly.
1855, Alfred Tennyson, “(please specify the page)”, in Maud, and Other Poems, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:To-night the winds begin to rise And roar from yonder dropping day: The last red leaf is whirl’d away, The rooks are blown about the skies; […]
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XV”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 24:See, see the chariot, and those rushing wheels, / That whirled the prophet up at Chebar flood.
c. 1630, John Milton, “The Passion”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| whirled | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| whirled | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| whirls | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| whirling | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Synonyms
Translations (40)
cs otáčet se (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · mi kōripo (to make something whirl around) · no snurre (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · pl wirować (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · fr tourbillonner (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · cs točit se (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · mi tāwhirowhiro (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · cs vířit (to make something whirl around) · ru кружи́ться (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · mi tāwhiuwhiu (to make something whirl around) · bg завъртам (to make something whirl around) · bg въртя се бързо (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · cs kroužit (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · mi āwhio (to make something whirl around) · eo girigi (to make something whirl around) · is hvirfla (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · ru вертеться (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · eo giri (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · mi āwhiowhio (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · eo turniĝadi (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · de im Kreise drehen (to make something whirl around) · ms baling-baling (to make something whirl around) · cs vířit (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · mi āwhiowhio (to make something whirl around) · it piroettare (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · sv virvla (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · ms pusing-pusing (to make something whirl around) · cs kroužit (to make something whirl around) · cs otáčet (to make something whirl around) · de wirbeln (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · cs točit (to make something whirl around) · mi kōumuumu (to make something whirl around) · mi kōumuumu (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · it roteare (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · io vorticar (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · no virvle (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · sv snurra (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · de wirbeln (to make something whirl around) · it turbinare (To rotate, revolve, spin rapidly) · de schnell drehen (to make something whirl around)