'Whirligig' definitions:

Definition of 'whirligig'

From: WordNet
noun
A conical child's plaything tapering to a steel point on which it can be made to spin; "he got a bright red top and string for his birthday" [syn: top, whirligig, teetotum, spinning top]
noun
A large, rotating machine with seats for children to ride or amusement [syn: carousel, carrousel, merry-go-round, roundabout, whirligig]
verb
Whirl or spin like a whirligig

Definition of 'Whirligig'

From: GCIDE
  • Whirligig \Whirl"i*gig\, n. [Whirl + gig.] [1913 Webster]
  • 1. A child's toy, spun or whirled around like a wheel upon an axis, or like a top. --Johnson. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. Anything which whirls around, or in which persons or things are whirled about, as a frame with seats or wooden horses. [1913 Webster]
  • With a whirligig of jubilant mosquitoes spinning about each head. --G. W. Cable. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. A mediaeval instrument for punishing petty offenders, being a kind of wooden cage turning on a pivot, in which the offender was whirled round with great velocity. [1913 Webster]
  • 4. (Zool.) Any one of numerous species of beetles belonging to Gyrinus and allied genera. The body is firm, oval or boatlike in form, and usually dark colored with a bronzelike luster. These beetles live mostly on the surface of water, and move about with great celerity in a gyrating, or circular, manner, but they are also able to dive and swim rapidly. The larva is aquatic. Called also weaver, whirlwig, and whirlwig beetle. [1913 Webster]

Synonyms of 'whirligig'

From: Moby Thesaurus

Words containing 'Whirligig'