tourbillion


tour·bil·lion

T0289600 (to͝or-bĭl′yən)n.1. a. A whirlwind.b. A vortex, as of a whirlwind or whirlpool.2. A skyrocket that has a spiral flight.
[Middle English turbilloun, from Old French torbeillon, ultimately from Latin turbō, from Greek turbē, noise, confusion; see turbid.]

tourbillion

(tʊəˈbɪljən) n (Physical Geography) a rare word for whirlwind[C15: from French tourbillon, ultimately from Latin turbō something that spins, from turbāre to confuse]

tour•bil•lion

(tʊərˈbɪl yən)

n. 1. a whirlwind. 2. a firework that rises spirally. [1470–80; earlier turbilloun < Middle French to(u)rbillon < Vulgar Latin *turbiliōnem, dissimilated variant of *turbiniōnem, acc. of *turbiniō whirlwind]