Where does “whirlwind” come from?
Whirlwind comes from Middle English whirlewynde, a compound of whirlen and wynde meaning a rapidly rotating wind phenomenon.
whirlwind (English): A violent windstorm of limited extent, as the...
Definitions
- A violent windstorm of limited extent, as the...
Ancestry of “whirlwind”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | wind | Real or perceived movement of atmospheric air... |
| 2 | English | farm | A place where agricultural and similar activities... |
| 3 | Middle English | ferme | — |
| 4 | Old French | ferme | lease; the land leased; farm |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | ferma | Alternative form of firma |
| 6 | Latin | Firma | — |
| 7 | Latin | Firmus | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | fermos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer-mo-s | holding |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |