quirl

See also: Quirl

English

Etymology

Attested since the 18th century. Considered by other dictionaries to be related to curl. Compare German Quirl, said to be related to twirl.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /kwɝl/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kwɜːl/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)l

Verb

quirl (third-person singular simple present quirls, present participle quirling, simple past and past participle quirled)

1. (chiefly dialectal, Southern US, Midland US) To curl or twirl, or twist or coil (up).
   • 1894, Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman, Pembroke: A Novel, page 215:

     Ephraim clapped his hand to his side, and rolled his eyes agonizingly towards his mother, but she took no notice. She got some paper out of the cupboard, and Ephraim sat down and began quirling it into long spirals with a wretched sulky air.

Further reading

• “quirl”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “quirl”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.