whirligig
English
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whirligig
- /ˈwɜː.lɪ.ɡɪɡ/ UK
- /ˈwɝ.lɪ.ɡɪɡ/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English whyrlegygge; equivalent to whirl (noun or verb) + gig (“a top”).
noun whirligigs · whirlgig · whirlygig
- Anything that whirls or spins around, such as a toy top or a merry-go-round.
- A device incorporating spinning, wind-driven propellers or pinwheels, used as whimsical outdoor decoration in a garden or on a porch.
- Ellipsis of whirligig beetle
- A device for punishing prisoners, comprising a wooden cage that rapidly spins around to induce nausea.
verb whirligigs · whirligigging · whirligigged · whirlgig · whirlygig
- To spin or twirl about quickly. “[A]n’ whin the anlooky brat had thim all in this way whirligiggin’ about the flure, he’d grin an’ he’d chuckle an’ he'd chather, jist fur all the world like Jocko, the monkey, whin he’s played off sum uv his roguery.”
Translations
Every language
noun anything that whirls or spins around, such as a toy
| Русский | вертушка vertuška |
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Talk about this word "whirligig." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/whirligig. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. whirligig. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/whirligig "whirligig." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/whirligig.Cite this
@misc{whirligig_2026,
title = {whirligig},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/whirligig},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
