gyre
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gyre¹
- /d͡ʒaɪ.ə/ UK
- /d͡ʒaɪ.ɚ/ US
Rhymes with -aɪə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Latin gȳrus (“circle; circular motion”), from Ancient Greek γῦρος (gûros, “circle; ring”), from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to bend; to curve”). The English word is a doublet of gyro and gyrus.
noun gyres
- A swirling vortex.
- A circular or spiral motion; also, a circle described by a moving body; a revolution, a turn. Quick, and more quick he ſpins in giddy Gires, / Then falls, and in much Foam his Soul expires.
-
Synonym of gyrus (“a fold or ridge on the cerebral cortex of the brain”).
Similar: gyrus
- An ocean current caused by wind which moves in a circular manner, especially one that is large-scale and observed in a major ocean. Most ships that tried to cross the Pacific in the past would get stuck in the gyres and never make it out.
gyre²
- /d͡ʒaɪ.ə/ UK
- /d͡ʒaɪ.ɚ/ US
Rhymes with -aɪə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Late Middle English giren (“to turn (something) away; to cause (something) to revolve or rotate; to travel in a circle”), from Old French girer (“to turn”), and directly from its etymon Latin gȳrāre, the present active infinitive of gȳrō (“to turn in a circle, rotate; to circle or revolve around”), from gȳrus (“circle; circular motion”) (see etymology 1) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs).
verb gyres · gyring · gyred
- To spin around; to gyrate, to whirl. The host of heauenly beautyes moue, / Depainted in their proper stories, / As well the fixd as wandring glories, / Which from their proper orbes not goe, / Whether they gyre swift or slowe: […]
- To make (something) spin or whirl around; to spin, to whirl.
Translations
Every language
noun ocean current caused by wind which moves in a circular manner
| Español | giro, giro oceánico |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 環流 /环流 huánliú |
| Português | giro, remoinho, turbilhão |
| Français | gyre, gyre océanique |
| Deutsch | ozeanischer Wirbel, Wirbel |
Talk about this word "gyre." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gyre. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. gyre. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gyre "gyre." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gyre.Cite this
@misc{gyre_2026,
title = {gyre},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gyre},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
