whirl

Where does the word "whirl" come from? It comes from Old Norse hvirfla, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Whirl’s story begins in Old Norse: hvirfla meant “to spin rapidly.” The root of 'whirlpool' and 'whirlwind'. It reached English by 1300s as whirl. Settled as the English word for rapid rotational movement. Today, whirl means to move rapidly in a circular or spinning motion.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval hvirfla "to spin rapidly", the root of 'whirlpool' and 'whirlwind'.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s whirl "to move rapidly in a circular motion", settled as the English word for rapid rotational movement.