Ferris wheel

[fer-is]

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. 2018

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

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.