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Catherine wheel

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noun
  1. a firework that revolves on a pin, making a wheel of fire or sparks; pinwheel.
  2. wheel window.
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Also catharine wheel.

Origin of Catherine wheel

1175–1225; Middle English; named after St. Catherine of Alexandria, from wheel used to torture her
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for catherine wheel

Catherine wheel

noun
  1. Also called: pinwheel a type of firework consisting of a powder-filled spiral tube, mounted with a pin through its centre. When lit it rotates quickly, producing a display of sparks and coloured flame
  2. a circular window having ribs radiating from the centre
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Word Origin

C16: named after St Catherine of Alexandria
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012