n.
Pronunciation: ' hwo ̇ r(- ə )l, ' wo ̇ r(- ə )l, ' (h)w ə r(- 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 < whorl s 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