Catherine wheel

noun

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

2. wheel window.

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Catherine wheel¹

1175–1225; Middle English; named after St. Catherine of Alexandria, from wheel used to torture her

Word History and Origins

Origin of Catherine wheel¹

C16: named after St _Catherine of Alexandria

Example Sentences

At the top, a jagged, broken form recalls the razor-sharp spokes of a Catherine wheel, a notorious public torture device common to medieval Europe.

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The lead cop’s full name is Catherine Wheel, a medieval torture device, and she has instant recall of a Latin motto: “Let the good of the people be the highest law.”

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Set to Carl Orff’s dramatic score, the production includes a giant moving Catherine wheel and a live chorus seated on a floating platform above the stage.

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Musician David Byrne, with whom she worked on an earlier show, “The Catherine Wheel” in 1981, felt the same.

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That idiosyncratic style of his, back straight, carriage low, arms tucked, legs spinning so quick his gold spikes were like sparks from a Catherine wheel.

Read more on The Guardian