Main Entry:

whorl

Pronunciation:

\ˈhwȯr(-ə)l, ˈwȯr(-ə)l, ˈ(h)wər(-ə)l\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English wharle, whorle, probably alteration of whirle, from whirlen to whirl

Date:

15th century

1 : a drum-shaped section on the lower part of a spindle in spinning or weaving machinery serving as a pulley for the tape drive that rotates the spindle 2 : an arrangement of similar anatomical parts (as leaves) in a circle around a point on an axis 3 : something that whirls, coils, or spirals or whose form suggests such movement : swirl <whorls of snow> 4 : one of the turns of a univalve shell 5 : a fingerprint in which the central papillary ridges turn through at least one complete circle