gyre

1 of 2

noun

: a circular or spiral motion or form
especially : a giant circular oceanic surface current
gyral adjective

gyre

2 of 2

verb

gyred; gyring

intransitive verb

: to move in a circle or spiral

Did you know?

William Butler Yeats opens his 1920 poem, "The Second Coming," with the following lines: "Turning and turning in the widening gyre / The falcon cannot hear the falconer; / Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world…." Often found in poetic or literary contexts as an alternative to the more familiar circle or spiral, gyre comes via the Latin gyrus from the Greek gyros, meaning "ring" or "circle." Gyre is also frequently encountered as an oceanographic term that refers to vast circular systems of ocean currents, such as the North Atlantic Gyre, a system of currents circling clockwise between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Gyre is also sometimes used of more localized vortices, such as those produced by whirlpools or tornadoes.

Examples of gyre in a Sentence

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Noun
This gyre could begin forming around mid-May and extend into adjacent parts of the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, laying the groundwork for wetter conditions and isolated storm development. Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025 If a tropical cyclone forms from the gyre, it would be named Andrea. More: Prepare now for hurricanes, Trump warns. Doyle Rice, USA Today, 8 May 2025 The magnetic field stamps out the flickers by pushing any wayward pairs to align with the overall gyre. Charlie Wood, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2025 The rotating energy of this gyre is transferred to the ocean, where waves blow over miles, piling up into mammoth swells. Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for gyre

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin gyrus, from Greek gyros

Verb

Late Latin gyrare, from Latin gyrus

First Known Use

Noun

1566, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1593, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gyre was in 1566

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Cite this Entry

“Gyre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gyre. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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