Meanings
plural whirl-bones · alternative whirlbone · alternative whirl bone · alternative whirly-bone
- archaicmedicineThe head of the femur.
Origin
- Old Englishhweorfbān“a joint, kneecap, vertebra”
- Middle Englishwhirlebon
- Englishwhirl-bone
From Middle English whirlebon, whyrlebone, whorlbane (“hip or hip joint; the thighbone, femur; the rounded head of the femur; the kneecap, patella; a vertebra; ankle”), perhaps an alteration of Old English hweorfbān (“a joint, kneecap, vertebra”), equivalent to whirl + bone. Cognate with Scots whorlebone, whorle-bane (“hip bone, joint, vertebra”), German Wirbelbein (“vertebra”).
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
whirl-bone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whirl-bone
“whirl-bone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whirl-bone. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “whirl-bone,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whirl-bone.
Source: whirl-bone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.