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1. Dictionary

   whorl

   /wəːl/

   noun

   • 1. a pattern of spirals or concentric circles: "Shelley drew larger and larger dark whorls on her notepad"
   • ▪ each of the turns or convolutions in the shell of a gastropod or ammonoid mollusc.
   • ▪ a set of leaves, flowers, or branches springing from the stem at the same level and encircling it.
   • ▪ (in a flower) each of the sets of organs, especially the petals and sepals, arranged concentrically round the receptacle.
   • ▪ a complete circle in a fingerprint.
   • 2. a small wheel or pulley in a spinning wheel, spinning machine, or spindle. historical

   verb

   • 1. spiral or move in a twisted and convoluted fashion. literary

   Word Origin late Middle English (denoting a small flywheel): apparently a variant of whirl, influenced by Old English wharve ‘whorl of a spindle’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. whorled adjective

   Scrabble Points: 11

   • W

     4

   • H

     4

   • O

     1

   • R

     1

   • L

     1

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   More definitions, origin and scrabble points

2. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › whorlWhorl Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › whorl

   • Cached

   A whorl is a circular arrangement of similar parts, a spiral movement, or a type of fingerprint. Learn more about the word history, examples, and related terms of whorl from Merriam-Webster.

3. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishMeaning of whorl in English - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   A whorl is a circular pattern of lines, with the smallest circle in the middle, surrounded by other circles, each one wider and larger than the previous one. Learn more about the meaning, pronunciation, and usage of whorl with examples from the Cambridge English Corpus.

4. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryWHORL | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

   • Cached

   A whorl is a circular pattern of lines, with the smallest circle in the middle, surrounded by other circles, each one wider and larger than the previous one. Learn more about the meaning, usage and pronunciation of whorl with examples from various sources.

5. www.oed.com › dictionary › whorl_nwhorl, n. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English...

   www.oed.com › dictionary › whorl_n

   • Cached

   What does the noun whorl mean? There are five meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun whorl. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. whorl has developed meanings and uses in subjects including spinning (Middle English) animals (late 1600s) plants (late 1600s) shells and shellfish (1820s) anatomy (1820s)

6. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishWHORL definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   noun. 1. a small flywheel on a spindle, as for regulating the speed of a spinning wheel. 2. anything with a coiled or spiral appearance.

7. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › whorlWhorl - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › whorl

   Whorl describes something that looks like loops — a strand of curly hair that boings back up when you pull in then let it go, a corkscrew, even the track of a roller coaster that spins you in every direction.

8. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › englishwhorl noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes...

   www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › english

   • Cached

   A whorl is a pattern of circles or a ring of leaves or flowers around a stem. Learn how to pronounce, use and spell this word with Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.