Mevlevi /mev-lə-vīˈ/ or Mawlawi /mow-lä-wīˈ/

(a member of) an order of Sufis orig from Turkey, practising ritual dancing as an aid to religious meditation (also called whirling dervish)

whirl /(h)wûrl/

1. A rapid turning
2. Any of various devices that revolve rapidly, eg the whorl or flywheel of a spindle
3. Another name for whorl in other senses
4. A brief trip (informal)
5. A quick turn on the dance floor (informal)
6. A round of intense activity
7. A giddy degree of emotion or excitement
8. A commotion or tumult
9. A circling or spiralling pattern

1. To revolve or circle rapidly
2. To move rapidly, esp in an agitated manner
3. To turn swiftly round or aside

1. To turn round rapidly
2. To carry or move rapidly, on or as if on wheels (often with away, off, etc)
3. To throw violently

whirlˈer noun

whirlˈing noun and adjective

whirlˈingly adverb

whirlˈy adjective

Characterized by whirls or whirling

whirlˈ-about noun

1. The act of whirling about
2. Anything that turns round rapidly

whirlˈbat (also whorlˈbat and hurlˈbat) noun (obsolete)

Translating L caestus (see cestus²)

whirlˈblast noun

A whirling blast of wind

whirl bone noun

1. The round head of a bone turning in a socket
2. The knee-cap

whirling dervish noun

One of an order of Muslim devotees, founded in 1273, who dance or spin round as an aid to religious meditation (also Mevlevi)

whirlˈing-table noun

1. A machine exhibiting the effects of centripetal and centrifugal forces (also whirlˈing-machine)
2. A potter's wheel

whirlˈpool noun

1. A circular current in a river or sea, produced by opposing tides, winds or currents
2. An eddy
3. A huge whale-like sea monster (obsolete)

whirlpool bath same as Jacuzzi®

whirlˈwind noun

1. A small rotating windstorm, which may extend upwards to a height of many hundred feet, a miniature cyclone
2. Something that moves in a similarly rapid and usu destructive way

adjective

Describing anything that develops rapidly or violently

whirˈlybird noun (informal)

A helicopter

give something a whirl (informal)

To try something out

• droughtinesses
• droughts
• droughty
• drouk
• drouked
• drouking
• droukings
• droukit
• drouks
• drouth
• drouthier
• drouthiest
• drouthiness
• drouthinesses
• drouths
• drouthy
• drove
• drover
• drove road
• drove roads
• drovers
• droves
• droving
• drovings
• drow