˜yÐÄvlog

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whorl

[ wawrl, wurl, hwawrl, hwurl ]

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

/ ·Éɜ˱ô /

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
“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

whorl

/ ³ó·Éô°ù±ô,·Éô°ù±ô,³ó·Éû°ù±ô,·Éû°ù±ô /

  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.
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Derived Forms

  • whorled, adjective
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˜yÐÄvlog 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
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of whorl1

C15: probably variant of wherville whirl , influenced by Dutch worvel
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

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.

From

The team also noted oddities in the tissue, such as a small number of axons that formed extensive whorls.

From

Photographic series he made there, like “Westtexaspsychosculpture,†depict forlorn whorls of fencing-wire debris that look like uncanny mimics of Wool’s own writhing scribbles, and which inspired scaled-up versions cast in bronze.

From

Though these grafts developed successfully at first, over time the well-defined topography of the ear -- its familiar ridges, curves, and whorls -- were lost.

From

Now he had a permanent record of the highly specific whorls and ridges.

From

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