A Catherine wheel is a firework in the shape of a circle which spins round and round.
Catherine wheel in British English
noun
1. Also called: pinwheel
a type of firework consisting of a powder-filled spiral tube, mounted with a pin through its centre. When lit it rotates quickly, producing a display of sparks and coloured flame
2.
a circular window having ribs radiating from the centre
Word origin
C16: named after St Catherine of Alexandria
Catherine wheel in American English
[alsoc- w-]
pinwheel (sense 2)
Word origin
orig., a spiked wheel symbolizing the instrument of torture involved in the martyrdomof Catherine2 of Alexandria
Examples of 'Catherine wheel' in a sentence
Catherine wheel
Our galaxy has four arms like a Catherine wheel, with a bulge in the centre.