curl

¹curl

verb \ˈkər(-ə)l\

Definition of CURL

transitive verb

1

: to form (as the hair) into coils or ringlets

2

: to form into a curved shape : twist <curled his lip in a sneer>

3

: to furnish with curls

intransitive verb

1

a : to grow in coils or spirals

b : to form ripples or crinkles <bacon curling in a pan>

2

: to move or progress in curves or spirals : wind <the path curled along the mountainside>

3

: twist, contort

4

: to play the game of curling

Examples of CURL

1. She curls her hair every morning.
2. Can you curl your tongue?
3. The baby's fingers were tightly curled.
4. The snake curled itself around its prey.
5. The cat curled into a ball and went to sleep.
6. We saw smoke curling from the cottage chimney.
7. A snake curled around his leg.

Origin of CURL

Middle English, from crul curly, probably from Middle Dutch; akin to Old High German krol curly

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to CURL

Synonyms

coil, corkscrew, wind, entwine, spiral, twine, twist

Related Words

arc, arch, bend, crook, curve, hook, sweep, swerve, turn, veer, wheel; swirl, whirl; circle, encircle, loop; enlace, interlace, intertwine, lace; bow, bulge; meander, weave, zigzag

Near Antonyms

straighten

²curl

noun

Definition of CURL

1

: a lock of hair that coils : ringlet

2

: something having a spiral or winding form : coil

3

: the action of curling : the state of being curled

4

: a curved or spiral marking in the grain of wood

5

: a hollow arch of water formed when the crest of a breaking wave spills forward

6

: a usually short pass pattern in football in which a receiver runs downfield and then curves back toward the line of scrimmage

7

: a body-building exercise in which a weight held with the palms facing up is raised and lowered by flexing only the wrists or elbows

Examples of CURL

1. Her daughter has cute blonde curls.
2. She likes to wear her hair in curls.
3. The conditioner will help you keep the curl of your hair.
4. His hair has a natural curl.
5. He did 12 wrist curls.

First Known Use of CURL

1578

Related to CURL

Synonyms

frizz, frizzle, ringlet

Related Words

kink; crimp, wave; perm, permanent, set; lock, tress

Rhymes with CURL

birl, dirl, furl, hurl, merle, pearl, purl, skirl, squirrel, swirl, thirl, tirl, twirl, whirl

Curl

biographical name \ˈkər(-ə)l\

Definition of CURL

Robert Floyd 1933–     Am. chem.

curl

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In mathematics, a differential operator that can be applied to a vector-valued function (or vector field) in order to measure its degree of local spinning. It consists of a combination of the function's first partial derivatives. One of the more common forms for expressing it is: in which v is the vector field (v, v, v), and v, v, v are functions of the variables x, y, and z, and i, j, and k are unit vectors in the positive x, y, and z directions, respectively. In fluid mechanics, the curl of the fluid velocity field (i.e., vector velocity field of the fluid itself) is called the vorticity or the rotation because it measures the field's degree of rotation around a given point.