• Zoology each of the turns or convolutions in the shell of a gastropod or ammonoid mollusk.
• Botany a set of leaves, flowers, or branches springing from the stem at the same level and encircling it.
• Botany (in a flower) each of the sets of organs, esp. the petals and sepals, arranged concentrically around the receptacle.
• a complete circle in a fingerprint.
• chiefly historical: a small wheel or pulley in a spinning wheel, spinning machine, or spindle.
verb [ intrans. ] poetic/literary spiral or move in a twisted and convoluted fashion : the dances are kinetic kaleidoscopes where steps whorl into wildness.
DERIVATIVES whorled adjective
ORIGIN late Middle English (denoting a small flywheel): apparently a variant of whirl , influenced by Old English wharve [whorl of a spindle.]
Thesaurus. whorl - noun. Elegant whorls of wrought iron loop, coil, hoop, ring, curl, twirl, twist, spiral, helix, arabesque.
I have a fixation on whorls, circles and spirals at the moment. It may have started with the photo I took of paperbark at Piney Lakes early in the year.
It was encouraged by an embellisher sample: purple felt with different shades of blue organza punched into it, then spirals of wool fibre punched into the reverse. A challenge at Innovative Stitches for us to use buttonhole stitch added to the obssession as I stitched onto the spirals.
Then I started making rings, buttonholing onto various plastic bits I have saved. I am also planning to use the Flower Stitcher to stitch a heap more as well.
What will come of this? I don't know yet, but everywhere I look I see whorls. Must do something with this rust dyed piece as well.
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