verb / noun

swirl

SWURL/swɜːrl/

A twisting circular movement or pattern.

The leaves swirl through a curling eddy in the shallow water.

A small eddy in shallow water carries several autumn leaves along a curling spiral, making twisting circular motion clearly visible.

Etymology

The verb may come from a continental Germanic source or from the noun meaning “whirlpool, eddy”; its origin is uncertain. The selected sense describes something moving in that same twisting, circular way.

In context

Agriculture Insight48:25

Workers use long-handled stainless steel mesh scoops to gently swirl the slices in circular motions.

How Millions Tons of Cassava Are Processed – Massive Cassava Starch Farming & Processing

More examples

Dry leaves swirl around our feet in the wind.
She swirls the juice in her glass.
The frosting forms a swirl on top of each cupcake.

Forms

swirl · swirls · swirled · swirling

swirly adjective — Marked by twisting circular patterns.

Similar words

whirl: Emphasizes rapid spinning rather than a visible curved pattern.
eddy: Refers to a circular current, especially in water or air.
spiral: Describes a curve winding progressively outward or around an axis.