The story
From alteration of whirl (verb).
First known use, by meaning
- from c. 1460 A flywheel, a weight attached to a spindle.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
whorl
Today it means: Each circle, volution or equivalent in a pattern of concentric circles, ovals, arcs, or a spiral. Full definition →
First used c. 1460