hwierfel

Old English

The spelling of this entry has been normalized according to the principles established by Wiktionary's editor community or recent spelling standards of the language.

Alternative forms

• hwirfel, hwyrfel, hwerfel, wirfel, worful

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *hwirbil, from Proto-Germanic *hwirbilaz, equivalent to hweorfan +‎ -el.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxwi͜yr.fel/, [ˈʍi͜yrˠ.vel]

Noun

hwierfel m

1. circuit, circumference; perimeter, exterior
2. ring, crown
3. whirl, swirl
4. whirlpool, eddy

   Synonyms: edwielle, edwinde, ġeswelg, hwierfepōl, swelgendnes, swelgnes, swylt, þoden, wǣl

Declension

Declension of hwierfel (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	hwierfel	hwierfelas
accusative	hwierfel	hwierfelas
genitive	hwierfeles	hwierfela
dative	hwierfele	hwierfelum

Derived terms

• hwierfeldīċ (placename)
• hwierfeldūn (placename)
• hwierfelmere (placename)

Descendants

• Middle English: wherfel, whervel, wherwille, wervel, whorlwyl, whirle
  • English: whirl
  • Scots: quhirl, quhirll, whirle, whirl