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Ferris wheel

[fer-is]
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noun

an amusement ride consisting of a large upright wheel rotating on a fixed stand and having seats around its rim suspended freely so that they remain right side up as they revolve.

Origin of Ferris wheel

1890–95; named after G. W. G. Ferris (died 1896), American engineer
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ferris wheel

Historical Examples of ferris wheel

  • All he saw was what appeared to be a sort of ferris-wheel, except that it was revolving in a horizontal plane.

    Minor Detail

    John Michael Sharkey

  • After that we came to the place where Daredevil Dennell used to go up in a balloon and just beyond there is the ferris-wheel.

    Roy Blakeley's Bee-line Hike

    Percy Keese Fitzhugh

British Dictionary definitions for ferris wheel

Ferris wheel

noun

a fairground wheel having seats freely suspended from its rim; the seats remain horizontal throughout its rotation

Word Origin for Ferris wheel

C19: named after G.W.G. Ferris (1859–96), American engineer
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
Word Origin and History for ferris wheel

Ferris wheel

n.

1893, American English, from U.S. engineer George W.G. Ferris (1859-1896), who designed it for the World's Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago, 1893. It was 250 feet tall and meant to rival the Eiffel Tower, from the 1889 Paris Exposition.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper