Catherine wheel

noun

a firework that revolves on a pin, making a wheel of fire or sparks; pinwheel.

wheel window.

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. 2019

Related Words for catherine wheel

rocket, skyrocket, sparkler

British Dictionary definitions for catherine wheel

Catherine wheel

noun

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

a circular window having ribs radiating from the centre

Word Origin for Catherine wheel

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