English

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Etymology

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whirl +‎ -y

Adjective

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whirly (comparative whirlier, superlative whirliest)

  1. (informal) Visually suggestive of a swirl, whorl, or vortex.
    The whirly pattern on the wallpaper.
  2. (informal) That moves in a whirling motion.
    The whirly blades on top of a helicopter.
    • 2013, Alexis Wright, The Swan Book, Constable (2016), page 101:
      He was studying this brolga dance which was being performed with the accompaniment of a whirly haze of dust sprayed from the rusty wrecks of car bodies strewn over the flats behind them.

Derived terms

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Noun

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whirly (plural whirlies)

  1. A snowy whirlwind in the Antarctic.