I. ˈkər(-ə)l verb
Etymology: Middle English, from crul curly, probably from Middle Dutch; akin to Old High German krol curly
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1. : to form (as the hair) into coils or ringlets
2. : to form into a curved shape : twist
curl ed his lip in a sneer
3. : to furnish with curls
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to grow in coils or spirals
b. : to form ripples or crinkles
bacon curl ing in a pan
2. : to move or progress in curves or spirals : wind
the path curl ed along the mountainside
3. : twist , contort
4. : to play the game of curling
II. noun
Date: 1578
1. : a lock of hair that coils : ringlet
2. : something having a spiral or winding form : coil
3. : the action of curling : the state of being curled
4. : a curved or spiral marking in the grain of wood
5. : a hollow arch of water formed when the crest of a breaking wave spills forward
6. : a usually short pass pattern in football in which a receiver runs downfield and then curves back toward the line of scrimmage
7. : a body-building exercise in which a weight held with the palms facing up is raised and lowered by flexing only the wrists or elbows