was wotd|2006|August|24
English

Pronunciation
(US)
*IPA|/�v�rt�ks/
*SAMPA|/"vOrtEks/
audio|en-us-vortex.ogg|Audio (US)

Noun
rfc-level|Noun at L4+ not in L3 POS section
en-noun|pl=vortices

1. A whirlwind, whirlpool, or similarly moving matter in the form of a spiral or column.
2. figurative Anything that involves constant violent or chaotic activity around some centre.
3. figurative Anything which inevitably draws surrounding things into its current.

Quotations
2004: the consumer vortex that is East Hampton — The New Yorker, 30 August 2004, p.38

Related terms
vortical

Translations
trans-top|whirlpool
Esperanto: t-|eo|vortico|xs=Esperanto
Finnish: t-|fi|pyörre
German: t+|de|Wirbel|m
Icelandic: hringiða f
trans-mid
Kurdish: t|ku|bagerr|f, t|ku|babelîsk|f
Russian: водово�о� m, ви��� m, во�онка f
Spanish: remolino m
trans-bottom

trans-top|anything involving violent or chaotic activity around some centre
Finnish: t-|fi|pyörremyrsky
Icelandic: hringiða f
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|anything which draws surrounding things
Finnish: t-|fi|nielu, t+|fi|kita, t-|fi|pyörremyrsky
Icelandic: hringiða f
trans-mid
trans-bottom

See also
maelstrom
eddy

References
R:Century 1911
R:Webster 1913

Category:English nouns with irregular plurals

fr:vortex
io:vortex
it:vortex
ru:vortex
sv:vortex
te:vortex
vi:vortex
zh:vortex

• 2007-12-25 14:27 - Tbot - added t for eo, fi, de, ku

Full Revision History