Where does “whirling” come from?
Whirling derives from Middle English whirlen, from Middle English whervelen, from Old English hweorflian, from Old English hweorfan meaning "to turn or twist," from Proto-Germanic hwerbaną, from Proto-Indo-European kʷerp-.
whirling (English): present participle of whirl; The action of the...
Definitions
- present participle of whirl; The action of the...
Ancestry of “whirling”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | whirl | To rotate, revolve, spin or turn rapidly; To have... |
| 2 | Middle English | whirlen | — |
| 3 | Middle English | whervelen | — |
| 4 | Old English | hweorflian | — |
| 5 | Old English | hweorfan | to turn, change; to depart, go, proceed; to... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hwerbaną | to turn; turn around; to move; move about; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷerp- | to turn; to whirl, to twist |