dust whirl

American  

[duhst hwurl, wurl] / ˈdʌst ˌʰwɜrl, ˌwɜrl /

noun

Meteorology.

1. a whirlwind that forms over a dry and dusty area, picking up dust, sand, leaves, and debris: a dust whirl can be as minor as a very small eddy that circulates dried leaves by the side of the road or as vigorous as a dust devil, and occasionally can be the first visible sign of an imminent tornado.

   Mama taught us to respect the omens of ill weather and never to trust the innocence of a little dust whirl.

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Etymology

Origin of dust whirl

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Melissy’s gaze was turned to the dust whirl that advanced up the road that ran round the corral.

From Brand Blotters by Rowe, Clarence H. (Clarence Herbert)

That large blocks of ice could form in the moisture of this earth's atmosphere is about as likely as that blocks of stone could form in a dust whirl.

From The Book of the Damned by Fort, Charles

He now redoubled his antics, making the dust whirl in clouds about him, and crying on the spirits to aid him.

From Ten Years' Captivity in the Mahdi's Camp 1882-1892 by Wingate, F. R.

Farther back, in the distance, was another dust whirl.

From Wyoming, a Story of the Outdoor West by Raine, William MacLeod

How the Owls of Windermere must laugh at the silly Lakers, that under the garish eye of day, enveloped in clouds of dust, whirl along in rattling post-shays in pursuit of the picturesque!

From Recreations of Christopher North, Volume 2 by Wilson, John