whorled

adjective

\ˈhwȯr(-ə)ld,

ˈwȯr(-ə)ld, ˈ(h)wər(-ə)ld

\

Definition of whorled

: having or arranged in whorls leaves whorled at the nodes of the stem

Examples of whorled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Its leaves are narrow and whorled, and flowers are green and white with tinges of purple. — Margaret Lauterbach, idahostatesman, "Garden plants vital to the life of butterflies | Idaho Statesman," 18 Oct. 2017 True to its name, the foot-long snail kite eats only snails—its hooked beak is the ideal shape for plucking muscular morsels from whorled shells. — National Geographic, "Deadly Brain Disease Is Driving Swamp Birds Insane," 18 May 2016 McCormick analyzed the DNA of soil samples collected immediately adjacent to wild small-whorled pogonias, and used that data to calculate how much Russulaceae hyphae was present in the soil at each site. — Jackson Landers, Smithsonian, "A Mystery of Hiding Orchids, Solved," 19 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'whorled.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about whorled

Dictionary Entries near whorled

Whorfian hypothesis

whorled loosestrife

Statistics for whorled

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for whorled

The first known use of whorled was in 1567

See more words from the same year

WORD OF THE DAY

superjacent

lying above or upon

Test Your Vocabulary

Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz

Boreal comes from the name of the ancient Greek god of which wind?

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games