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Swirl

//swɜɹl// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A whirling eddy.
  2. 2
    the shape of something rotating rapidly wordnet
  3. 3
    A twist or coil of something.
  4. 4
    The upward rushing of a fish through the water to take the bait.
  5. 5
    Interracial mingling (e.g. dating, sex, marriage, etc.). dated

    "She told that white boy she wasn't down with the swirl and to take himself a hike."

Verb
  1. 1
    To twist or whirl, as an eddy. ambitransitive

    "I swirled my brush around in the paint."

  2. 2
    flow in a circular current, of liquids wordnet
  3. 3
    To be arranged in a twist, spiral or whorl.
  4. 4
    turn in a twisting or spinning motion wordnet
  5. 5
    To circulate. figuratively

    "Mr. Cameron had a respite Thursday from the negative chatter swirling around him when he appeared outside 10 Downing Street to denounce the murder a day before of a British soldier on a London street."

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  1. 6
    To mingle interracially. dated

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English swirlen (“to eddy, swirl”), probably from Old Norse *svirla (“to swirl”), a frequentative form of Old Norse sverra (“to swing, twirl”). Cognate with Scots swirl, sworl (“to eddy, swirl”), Norwegian Nynorsk svirla (“to whirl around; swirl”), Swedish sorla (“to murmur, buzz”), Dutch zwirrelen (“to swirl”). Compare also West Frisian swiere (“to reel, whirl”), Dutch zwieren (“to reel, swing around”), German Low German swirren (“to whizz, whirl or buzz around”), German schwirren (“to whirr, whizz, buzz”), Swedish svirra (“to whirr about, buzz, hum”), Danish svirre (“to whizz, whirr”). Related to English swarm.

Etymology 2

From Middle English swirlen (“to eddy, swirl”), probably from Old Norse *svirla (“to swirl”), a frequentative form of Old Norse sverra (“to swing, twirl”). Cognate with Scots swirl, sworl (“to eddy, swirl”), Norwegian Nynorsk svirla (“to whirl around; swirl”), Swedish sorla (“to murmur, buzz”), Dutch zwirrelen (“to swirl”). Compare also West Frisian swiere (“to reel, whirl”), Dutch zwieren (“to reel, swing around”), German Low German swirren (“to whizz, whirl or buzz around”), German schwirren (“to whirr, whizz, buzz”), Swedish svirra (“to whirr about, buzz, hum”), Danish svirre (“to whizz, whirr”). Related to English swarm.

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