n., pl., -tex·es, or -ti·ces (-tĭ-sēz').
- A spiral motion of fluid within a limited area, especially a whirling mass of water or air that sucks everything near it toward its center.
- A place or situation regarded as drawing into its center all that surrounds it: "As happened with so many theater actors, he was swept up in the vortex of Hollywood" (New York Times).
[Latin vortex, vortic-, variant of vertex, from vertere, to turn.]
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.
