different between whorl vs twirl

English

Etymology

From alteration of whirl (verb).

Pronunciation

• enPR: wûrl, IPA^(key): /w??(?)l/
• Rhymes: -??(r)l
• Homophone: whirl

Noun

whorl (plural whorls)

1. A pattern of concentric circles.
2. (botany) A circle of three or more leaves, flowers, or other organs, about the same part or joint of a stem.
3. (zoology) A volution, or turn, of the spire of a univalve shell.
4. (anatomy) Any volution, as for example in the human ear or fingerprint.
5. A flywheel, a weight attached to a spindle. [from c. 1460]

Translations

Verb

whorl (third-person singular simple present whorls, present participle whorling, simple past and past participle whorled)

1. (intransitive) To form a pattern of concentric circles.

References

• whorl in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• whorl in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• whorl, Glossary of Terms, American Rhododendron Society

English

Etymology

Of Scandinavian origin, akin to Norwegian Nynorsk tvirla, Old High German dweran (German zwirlen, quirlen) and Icelandic þyrill Or, an alteration of tirl (“to twist”), with influence from whirl.; all from Proto-Germanic *þweran? (“to stir”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?tw??(?)l/
• Rhymes: -??(r)l

Noun

twirl (plural twirls)

1. A movement where a person spins round elegantly; a pirouette.
2. Any rotating movement; a spin.

   The conductor gave his baton a twirl, and the orchestra began to play.

3. A little twist of some substance; a swirl.
   • 1969, The South African Sugar Journal (volume 53, page 51)

     Place the cream in a piping bag with a fairly large star pipe attached, fill each tartlet with a twirl of cream and top with a strawberry.

4. (slang) A prison guard.

   Synonym: screw

   • 1958, Frank Norman, Bang to rights: an account of prison life (page 67)

     Which was in the main childishness and pettiness, the reason for this was that most of the twirls and the governors had […]

Translations

Verb

twirl (third-person singular simple present twirls, present participle twirling, simple past and past participle twirled)

1. (intransitive) To perform a twirl.
2. (transitive) To rotate rapidly.
   • 1753, Robert Dodsley, Agriculture

     See ruddy maids, / Some taught with dexterous hand to twirl the wheel.
3. (transitive) To twist round.
4. (baseball) To pitch.
   • 1949, Mark Raymond Murnane, Ground Swells: Of Sailors, Ships, and Shellac (page 302)

     When the batteries were announced, however, and Herb Pennock of the Boston Red Sox, probably the best pitcher in all baseballdom, was named to twirl for the invading team, we felt we had been tricked.

Derived terms

• twirl one's moustache

Translations

References