pinwheel

or pin wheel

[ pin-hweel, -weel ]

noun

1. a child's toy consisting of a wheel or leaflike curls of paper or plastic loosely attached by a pin to a stick, designed to revolve when blown by or as by the wind.
2. Also called catherine wheel. a kind of firework supported on a pin which, when ignited, revolves rapidly and gives a dazzling display of light.
3. a wheel having pins at right angles to its rim for engaging the teeth of a gear.

verb (used without object)

1. to revolve rapidly like a pinwheel:

   Images of the past pinwheeled through his mind.

pinwheel

/ ˈpɪnˌwiːl /

noun

1. See Catherine wheel
   another name for Catherine wheel
2. a cogwheel whose teeth are formed by small pins projecting either axially or radially from the rim of the wheel
3. a toy consisting of plastic or paper vanes attached to a stick in such a manner that they revolve like the sails of a windmill Also called (in Britain and certain other countries)windmillwhirligig

Word History and Origins

Origin of pinwheel¹

First recorded in 1695–1705; pin + wheel

Example Sentences

This premade Easter basket features a massive range of kid-friendly toys and treats, including caramel popcorn, a Kit Kat bar, Jelly Belly candies, Peeps, several chocolate bunnies, a jump rope, crayons, and pinwheels, bubbles, and two plush toys.

From The Daily Beast

Rhubarb Roulade This powdered sugar-dusted pink-and-white pinwheel is a classically beautiful Gourmet dessert.

From The Daily Beast

Why, he began turning somersaults so fast that he looked just like a pinwheel going around, or an automobile tire whizzing along.

From Project Gutenberg

Persis went through the air like a pinwheel, and those who witnessed the affair gave up her and the horse for dead.

From Project Gutenberg

A pinwheel had exploded, sending a shower of sparks in every direction.

From Project Gutenberg

Just as they entered a pinwheel, lying flat, began to fizz, sending a shower of sparks across the other pieces.

From Project Gutenberg

If this is a gesture, all I can say is, it is a pinwheel; and yet Broun writes only about things he knows about.

From Project Gutenberg