whirlwind : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: whirlwind	by the DICT Development Group
3 results for whirlwind
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
whirlwind n a more or less vertical column of air whirling around itself as it moves over the surface of the Earth
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Whirlwind \Whirl"wind`\, n. [Cf. Icel. hvirfilvindr, Sw. hvirfvelvind, Dan. hvirvelvind, G. wirbelwind. See {Whirl}, and {Wind}, n.] 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. The swift dark whirlwind that uproots the woods. And drowns the villages. --Bryant. Note: Some meteorologists apply the word whirlwind to the larger rotary storm also, such as cyclones. 2. Fig.: A body of objects sweeping violently onward. [bd]The whirlwind of hounds and hunters.[b8] --Macaulay.
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
Whirlwind 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)