Catherine wheel

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See synonyms for Catherine wheel on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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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

Words nearby Catherine wheel

Catherine of Aragon, Catherine of Braganza, Catherine of Siena, Catherine Parr, Catherine the Great, Catherine wheel, Cather, Willa, catheter, catheter embolus, catheterization, catheterize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use Catherine wheel in a sentence

Church bells pealed from St. Catherine of Siena parish one block away.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They were racing toward the corner of Tompkins and Myrtle avenues with Johnson at the wheel when another call came over the radio.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Catherine Lemay is impressed by neither the myth nor the reality when she arrives in Montana in the summer of 1956.
The Golden West Up for Grabs: ‘Painted Horses’ Is the Next Great Western Novel|Wendy Smith|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“They think Putin is the only evil in Russia and dream about getting rid of him,” he said, tightening his grip on the wheel.
Think Putin’s Bad? Wait for the Next Guy|Anna Nemtsova|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Maybe the wheel will turn again, and heterosexuality will come to seem edgy.
How Straight World Stole ‘Gay’: The Last Gasp of the ‘Lumbersexual’|Tim Teeman|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Never again would he sit behind that wheel rejoicing in the insolence of speed.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
He deposited it on the vacant seat, clambered up behind the wheel, and started.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
The non-elastic character of water made it unsuitable for a machine requiring a fly-wheel.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
To quote Mrs. Kaye, 'A Liberal peer is as useful as a fifth wheel to a coach, and as ornamental as whitewash.'
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
I think 6½ feet diameter for the fly, and 9½ inches diameter for the small wheel, will give speed enough to the drum.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick

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