Catherine wheel

noun

Cath·​er·​ine wheel ˈka-th(ə-)rin- How to pronounce Catherine wheel (audio)
1
: a wheel with spikes projecting from the rim
2
3

Examples of Catherine wheel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web At the top, a jagged, broken form recalls the razor-sharp spokes of a Catherine wheel, a notorious public torture device common to medieval Europe. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2023 Everything's wild rumpus springs from the everyday struggles of an L.A. laundromat owner (Michelle Yeoh) and her semi-estranged husband and daughter (Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu, respectively), then starts shooting out sparks from there like a Catherine wheel. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 28 June 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Catherine wheel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

St. Catherine of Alexandria died about 307 Christian martyr

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Catherine wheel was in 1584

Dictionary Entries Near Catherine wheel

Cite this Entry

“Catherine wheel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Catherine%20wheel. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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