swirl (swûrl)

v., swirled, swirl·ing, swirls.

v.intr.

1. To move with a twisting or whirling motion; eddy.
2. To be dizzy or disoriented.
3. To be arranged in a spiral, whorl, or twist.

v.tr.

1. To cause to move with a twisting or whirling motion. See synonyms at turn.
2. To form into or arrange in a spiral, whorl, or twist.

n.

1. A whirling or eddying motion or mass: a swirl of white water.
2. Something, such as a curl of hair, that coils, twists, or whirls.
3. Whirling confusion or disorder: "high-pressure farce built around the swirl of mistaken identities" (Jay Carr).

[Middle English swyrl, eddy, probably of Low German or Scandinavian origin.]

swirly swirl'y adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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