whirlwind

whirlwind
    n 1: a more or less vertical column of air whirling around
         itself as it moves over the surface of the Earth
    

Whirlwind \Whirl"wind`\, n. [Cf. Icel. hvirfilvindr, Sw.
   hvirfvelvind, Dan. hvirvelvind, G. wirbelwind. See {Whirl},
   and {Wind}, n.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. A violent windstorm of limited extent, as the tornado,
      characterized by an inward spiral motion of the air with
      an upward current in the center; a vortex of air. It
      usually has a rapid progressive motion.
      [1913 Webster]

            The swift dark whirlwind that uproots the woods.
            And drowns the villages.              --Bryant.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: Some meteorologists apply the word whirlwind to the
         larger rotary storm also, such as cyclones.
         [1913 Webster]

   2. Fig.: A body of objects sweeping violently onward. "The
      whirlwind of hounds and hunters." --Macaulay.
      [1913 Webster]
    

Whirlwind

   <computer> An early computer from the {MIT Research Laboratory
   for Electronics}.

   Whirlwind used {electrostatic memory} and ran {Laning and
   Zierler} (1953); and {ALGEBRAIC}, {COMPREHENSIVE} and {SUMMER
   SESSION} (all 1959).

   [Details, reference?]

   (2002-06-03)
    

58 Moby Thesaurus words for "whirlwind":
      Charybdis, ado, baguio, blaze, burst, bustle, convulsion, cyclone,
      dizzy round, dust devil, eddy, eruption, explosion, fit, flare-up,
      flurry, furore, fuss, gale, gurge, gust, gyre, hurricane,
      irruption, maelstrom, outbreak, outburst, paroxysm, pirouette,
      pother, rainspout, rat race, reel, rotary storm, round,
      sand column, sandspout, seizure, spasm, spin, storm, surge, swirl,
      tempest, tornado, turn, twirl, twister, typhoon, upheaval, vortex,
      waterspout, wheel, whirl, whirlblast, whirlpool, whirly,
      wind eddy