eddy

[ ed-ee ]

/ ˈɛd i /

Save This Word!

noun, plural ed·dies.

a current at variance with the main current in a stream of liquid or gas, especially one having a rotary or whirling motion.

a small whirlpool.

any similar current, as of air, dust, or fog.

a current or trend, as of opinion or events, running counter to the main current.

verb (used with or without object), ed·died, ed·dy·ing.

to move or whirl in eddies.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of eddy

1425–75; late Middle English; Old English ed- turning + ēa water; akin to Old Norse itha

OTHER WORDS FROM eddy

un·ed·died, adjectiveun·ed·dy·ing, adjective

Words nearby eddy

Edda, Eddery, Eddington, Eddington limit, eddo, eddy, eddy current, Eddy, Mary Baker, Eddystone Rocks, Ede, Edelman

Other definitions for eddy (2 of 2)

Eddy

[ ed-ee ]

/ ˈɛd i /

noun

Mary (Morse) Baker Mrs. Glover; Mrs. Patterson, 1821–1910, U.S. founder of the Christian Science Church.

Also Eddie. a male given name, form of Edgar or Edward.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use eddy in a sentence

Growing up, Eddy often cut through Oaklawn Cemetery on his way to his aunt’s house.
To find answers about the 1921 race massacre, Tulsa digs up its painful past|Helen Thompson|May 27, 2021|Science News
Returning to Oaklawn in his 80s, Eddy showed investigators where he’d seen the trench as a boy.
To find answers about the 1921 race massacre, Tulsa digs up its painful past|Helen Thompson|May 27, 2021|Science News
We like to think of Quartz as an eddy in that river of news, a spot of relative calm where you’ll find only the most important and interesting stuff.
Introducing Quartz Essentials, for extracting knowledge from the news|Zachary M. Seward|May 4, 2021|Quartz
“Given the projected pollution for the Permian Basin, it is quite literally a global climate bomb that will lead us to catastrophe if we fail to adjust our trajectory away from fossil fuels,” Eddy said.
Oil, gas industry says it will support carbon pricing|Steven Mufson, Josh Partlow|March 25, 2021|Washington Post

Four years later, as a junior in college, after a morning swirling in yet another eddy of food-obsessed thoughts, I finally reached a breaking point.
How Nature Helped Me Recover from an Eating Disorder|Kate Siber|March 25, 2021|Outside Online
Now 18, Ammons was a friend of Skylar Neese and a friend of one of her killers, Shelia Eddy.
He Bullies Kids and Calls It News|Brandy Zadrozny|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jean François Bruel, executive chef at Daniel, and Eddy Leroux, chef de cuisine, in particular.
The Frenchman Who Rules New York|Katie Workman|September 22, 2009|DAILY BEAST
This hurly-burly,” said he, drawing her into a quiet eddy of the stream, “is no place for the communion of two twin souls.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
A dangerous eddy was barely avoided, but beyond and directly in their path a ragged rock appeared.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
This family had an immense capacity for disapproval; it was awful, as Eddy had observed, for not liking people.
The Creators|May Sinclair
He felt himself caught in a mighty eddy, bearing he knew not whither; he, one wavelet amid the sea's myriads.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
Well, I can—look at that bend where the round pebbles are collected so; there was a strong eddy there.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend|Charles Reade

British Dictionary definitions for eddy (1 of 2)

eddy

/ (ˈɛdɪ) /

noun plural -dies

a movement in a stream of air, water, or other fluid in which the current doubles back on itself causing a miniature whirlwind or whirlpool

a deviation from or disturbance in the main trend of thought, life, etc, esp one that is relatively unimportant

verb -dies, -dying or -died

to move or cause to move against the main current

Word Origin for eddy

C15: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse itha; related to Old English ed- again, back, Old High German it-

British Dictionary definitions for eddy (2 of 2)

Eddy

/ (ˈɛdɪ) /

noun

Mary Baker. 1821–1910, US religious leader; founder of the Christian Science movement (1866)

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

Scientific definitions for eddy

eddy

[ ĕd′ē ]

A current, as of water or air, moving in a direction that is different from that of the main current. Eddies generally involve circular motion; unstable patterns of eddies are often called turbulence. See also vortex.

eddy

Origin of eddy

OTHER WORDS FROM eddy

Words nearby eddy

Other definitions for eddy (2 of 2)

Words related to eddy

How to use eddy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for eddy (1 of 2)

Word Origin for eddy

British Dictionary definitions for eddy (2 of 2)

Scientific definitions for eddy