whirligig

Meaning

1. Anything that whirls or spins around, such as a toy top or a merry-go-round.
2. A device incorporating spinning, wind-driven propellers or pinwheels, used as whimsical outdoor decoration in a garden or on a porch.
3. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis) Ellipsis of whirligig beetle.
4. (historical) A device for punishing prisoners, comprising a wooden cage that rapidly spins around to induce nausea.

Synonyms

spinning top

merry-go-round

roundabout

top

🔝

carousel

teetotum

carrousel

mullet

reel

roll

rotation

spinning wheel

vicissitude

vicissitudes

vortical

whirling

merry-goround

ginning machine

circumvolution

gig

gyration

gyro

gyroscopic

mill

Translations

σβούρα

trottola

Kreisel

🔝

toupie

🔝

baldufa

peonza

Brummkreisel

tol

🔝

pião

chenille

🐛

carrousel

αλογάκια

μύλος

manège

cavallets

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈwɜː.lɪ.ɡɪɡ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: whirlegigge

In summary

From Middle English whyrlegygge; equivalent to whirl (noun or verb) + gig (“a top”).