Link Centre Dictionary

whirlwind

whirl·wind

UK/ˈwɜːlwɪnd/ US/ˈ(h)wɝlwɪnd/ uncommon

noun

1.

a more or less vertical column of air whirling around itself as it moves over the surface of the Earth

Origin

From Middle English whirlewind, whirlewynde, equivalent to whirl + wind. Compare Middle Dutch wervelwint, Old Norse hvirfilvindr.

Phrases

  • sow the wind, reap the whirlwind

Related words

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.