whorl

[hwurl, hwawrl, wurl, wawrl]

noun

1. a circular arrangement of like parts, as leaves or flowers, around a point on an axis; verticil.

2. one of the turns or volutions of a spiral shell.

3. anything shaped like a coil.

4. one of the central ridges of a fingerprint, forming at least one complete circle.

5. Textiles.,  a flywheel or pulley, as for a spindle.

whorl

/ wɜːl /

noun

1. botany a radial arrangement of three or more petals, stamens, leaves, etc, around a stem

2. zoology a single turn in a spiral shell

3. one of the basic patterns of the human fingerprint, formed by several complete circular ridges one inside another Compare arch 1 loop 1

4. anything shaped like a coil

whorl

1. An arrangement of three or more appendages radiating in a circular or spiral arrangement from a point on a plant, as leaves around the node of a stem. The sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels of angiosperms form four separate whorls within a complete flower.

2. A single turn of a spiral shell of a mollusk.

Other Word Forms

• whorled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of whorl¹

1425–75; late Middle English whorle, whorvil, wharwyl, Old English hwyrfel, equivalent to hweorfa whorl of a spindle + -el noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of whorl¹

C15: probably variant of wherville _whirl , influenced by Dutch worvel

Example Sentences

A bird looks like an abstract whorl until you catch it at a particular angle; a man barely emerges from his stone, the cross on his neck just visible.

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In the early morning, the east-facing yard is alive with butterflies and bees, dancing over electric-purple whorls of celestial blue sage and sunny Palmer’s Indian mallow growing over the fence.

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She also got an up-close look at the delicate purple whorls on the outside of exterior of the snails’ shells.

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Representations of the religious teacher started out as nearly abstract symbols a few thousand years ago — a starburst shape inside a spiraling whorl, for example, which configures an emanation of light within an eternal flow.

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Its deep crimson color and complex bloom — a crowded whorl of ruffled petals that coalesce in the center to form a heart — add an element of visual intrigue.

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