swirl

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.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /swɜːl/　

• Audio (Southern England)

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• (US) IPA^(key): /swɜɹl/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)l

swirl (third-person singular simple present swirls, present participle swirling, simple past and past participle swirled)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To twist or whirl, as an eddy.

   I swirled my brush around in the paint.

   • 1857, Charles Kingsley, “(please specify the page)”, in Two Years Ago, volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC:

     The river swirled along.

   • 2012 May 13, Alistair Magowan, “Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport‎:

     The contest was a lot more even in the second half, as the wind swirled around the Stadium of Light, but it took Craig Gardner's superb block to prevent Young getting on the scoresheet.

2. To be arranged in a twist, spiral or whorl.
3. (figuratively) To circulate.
   • 2013 May 23, Sarah Lyall, “British Leader’s Liberal Turn Sets Off a Rebellion in His Party”, in New York Times, retrieved 29 May 2013:

     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.

4. (African-American Vernacular, dated) To mingle interracially.

• swirler

swirl (plural swirls)

1. A whirling eddy.
2. A twist or coil of something.
3. (fishing) The upward rushing of a fish through the water to take the bait.
4. (African-American Vernacular, dated) Interracial mingling (e.g. dating, sex, marriage, etc.).

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

• preswirl
• swirl flap
• swirly