whirlwind

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun a more or less vertical column of air whirling around itself as it moves over the surface of the Earth

From Middle English whirlewind, whirlewynde, equivalent to whirl + wind. Compare Middle Dutch wervelwint, Old Norse hvirfilvindr.

It was like a whirlwind!" — The Princess of the School, Angela Brazil
Winds, clouds, whirlwinds, gusts, useless stars! — Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
CHILDREN OF THE WHIRLWIND By Leroy Scott — Children of the Whirlwind, Leroy Scott

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