gyre
[jahyuh r]
- a ring or circle.
- a circular course or motion.
- Oceanography. a ringlike system of ocean currents rotating clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
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Origin of gyre
1560–70; < Latin gȳrus < Greek gŷros ring, circle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for gyre
Contemporary Examples
Yet with the tsunami debris joining the gyre, the problem is compounding more quickly than anyone can measure.
Historical Examples
Gyre (derived from Gayour or Giaour, a dog), “to scratch like a dog.”
Lewis Carroll in Wonderland and at HomeBelle Moses
Dorsally, the fissure bifurcates, embracing the gyre indented by the caudal limb of the paracentral.
Christian ScienceMark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
gyre
- a circular or spiral movement or path
- a ring, circle, or spiral
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- (intr) to whirl
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin gӯrus circle, from Greek guros
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for gyre
n.
1560s, "a circular motion;" as a verb, "to turn round," early 15c.; from Latin gyrus "circle, circular course, round, ring," and its derived verb gyrare, from Greek gyros "circle, ring," related to gyrós "rounded," perhaps from PIE root *geu- "to bend, curve" (cf. Armenian kor "crooked," Lithuanian gurnas "hip, ankle, bone," Norwegian kaure "a curly lock of hair").
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
gyre
[jīr]
- A spiral oceanic surface current driven primarily by the global wind system and constrained by the continents surrounding the three ocean basins (Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian). Each ocean basin has a large gyre in the subtropical region, centered around 30° north and south latitude. Smaller gyres occur at 50° north latitude in the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The direction of a gyre's rotation is determined by the prevailing winds in the region, with the large subtropical gyres rotating clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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