*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of swirl

From Middle English swirlen (“to eddy, swirl”), probably from Old Norse *svirla (“to swirl”), a frequentative form of Old Norse sverra (“to swing, twirl”). Cognate with Scots swirl, sworl (“to eddy, swirl”), Norwegian Ny

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A whirling eddy. · A twist or coil of something. · The upward rushing of a fish through the water to take the bait. · Interracial mingling (e.g. dating, sex, marriage, etc.).

verb

To twist or whirl, as an eddy. · To be arranged in a twist, spiral or whorl. · To circulate. · To mingle interracially.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English swirlen (“to eddy, swirl”), probably from Old Norse *svirla (“to swirl”), a frequentative form of Old Norse sverra (“to swing, twirl”). Cognate with Scots swirl, sworl (“to eddy, swirl”), Norwegian Nynorsk svirla (“to whirl around; swirl”), Swedish sorla (“to murmur, buzz”), Dutch zwirrelen (“to swirl”). Compare also West Frisian swiere (“to reel, whirl”), Dutch zwieren (“to reel, swing around”), German Low German swirren (“to whizz, whirl or buzz around”), German schwirren (“to whirr, whizz, buzz”), Swedish svirra (“to whirr about, buzz, hum”), Danish svirre (“to whizz, whirr”). Related to English swarm.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionswirlenenm · to eddy, swirl
  • Derivation mention*svirlanon · to swirl
  • Derivation mentionsverranon · to swing, twirl
  • Cognate mentionswirlsco
  • Cognate mentionsvirlann · to whirl around; swirl
  • Cognate mentionsorlasv · to murmur, buzz
  • Cognate mentionzwirrelennl · to swirl
  • Cognate mentionswierefy · to reel, whirl
  • Cognate mentionzwierennl · to reel, swing around
  • Cognate mentionschwirrende · to whirr, whizz, buzz
  • Cognate mentionsvirrasv · to whirr about, buzz, hum
  • Cognate mentionsvirreda · to whizz, whirr
  • Cognate mentionswarmen

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "swirlen",
        "t": "to eddy, swirl"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English swirlen (“to eddy, swirl”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "*svirla",
        "t": "to swirl"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse *svirla (“to swirl”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "sverra",
        "t": "to swing, twirl"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse sverra (“to swing, twirl”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "swirl"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots swirl"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nn",
        "2": "svirla",
        "t": "to whirl around; swirl"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Nynorsk svirla (“to whirl around; swirl”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "sorla",
        "t": "to murmur, buzz"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish sorla (“to murmur, buzz”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "zwirrelen",
        "t": "to swirl"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch zwirrelen (“to swirl”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "swiere",
        "t": "to reel, whirl"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian swiere (“to reel, whirl”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "zwieren",
        "t": "to reel, swing around"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch zwieren (“to reel, swing around”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds-de",
        "2": "swirren",
        "t": "to whizz, whirl or buzz around"
      },
      "expansion": "German Low German swirren (“to whizz, whirl or buzz around”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "schwirren",
        "t": "to whirr, whizz, buzz"
      },
      "expansion": "German schwirren (“to whirr, whizz, buzz”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "svirra",
        "t": "to whirr about, buzz, hum"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish svirra (“to whirr about, buzz, hum”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "svirre",
        "t": "to whizz, whirr"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish svirre (“to whizz, whirr”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "swarm"
      },
      "expansion": "English swarm"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "swirlen",
      "swirlen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*svirla",
      "Reconstruction:Old Norse/svirla"
    ],
    [
      "frequentative",
      "frequentative"
    ],
    [
      "sverra",
      "sverra#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "swirl",
      "swirl#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "sworl",
      "sworl#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "svirla",
      "svirla#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "sorla",
      "sorla#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "zwirrelen",
      "zwirrelen#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "swiere",
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    ],
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      "zwieren",
      "zwieren#Dutch"
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      "swirren",
      "swirren#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "schwirren",
      "schwirren#German"
    ],
    [
      "svirra",
      "svirra#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "svirre",
      "svirre#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "swarm",
      "swarm#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A whirling eddy.",
        "A twist or coil of something.",
        "The upward rushing of a fish through the water to take the bait.",
        "Interracial mingling (e.g. dating, sex, marriage, etc.)."
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      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To twist or whirl, as an eddy.",
        "To be arranged in a twist, spiral or whorl.",
        "To circulate.",
        "To mingle interracially."
      ],
      "tags": [
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for swirl →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c3dpcmw