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whirlwind

Pronunciation: /ˈwɜːlwɪnd/

The English word “whirlwind” has 3 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A windstorm of limited extent, such as a tornado, dust devil, or waterspout, characterized by an inward spiral motion of the air with an upward current in the center; a vortex of air.
  2. A person or body of objects or events sweeping violently onward.

adjective

  1. Rapid and minimal.

Etymology

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

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.