gyre

Plural: gyres

Noun

a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals)
A swirling vortex.
A circular or spiral motion; also, a circle described by a moving body; a revolution, a turn.
Synonym of gyrus (“a fold or ridge on the cerebral cortex of the brain”).
An ocean current caused by wind which moves in a circular manner, especially one that is large-scale and observed in a major ocean.

Verb

Verb Forms: gyred, gyring, gyres

To move or revolve in a circle or spiral.
To spin around; to gyrate, to whirl.
To make (something) spin or whirl around; to spin, to whirl.

Examples

Most ships that tried to cross the Pacific in the past would get stuck in the gyres and never make it out.
The letters on his rack seemed to gyre endlessly, never forming a coherent word.

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from Latin gȳrus (“circle; circular motion”), from Ancient Greek γῦρος (gûros, “circle; ring”), from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to bend; to curve”). The English word is a doublet of gyro and gyrus.

Synonyms

coil, curl, curlicue, ringlet, roll, scroll, whorl, circuit, gyrus, revolve, rotate, whirl

Scrabble Score: 8

gyre: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
gyre: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
gyre: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 8

gyre: valid Words With Friends Word