A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a

spiral In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point. Helices Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs).

Whorls in nature

File:Photograph and axial plane floral diagram of Friesodielsia desmoides.jpg, Botanical whorls: sepals, petals, leaves, or branches radiating from a single point (photo and axial cross-section shown) File:Anisus septegyrus1pl.jpg,

Mollusc whorls A whorl is a single, complete 360° revolution or turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell. A spiral configuration of the shell is found in numerous gastropods, but it is also found in shelled cephalopods including ''Nautilus'', ''Spirula'' ...

: Each complete 360° turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell. File:Baby hairy head DSCN2483.jpg, A hair whorl is a patch of

hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

growing in a circular direction around a visible center point. File:Fingerprint Whorl.jpg, In a fingerprint, a whorl is each ridge arranged circularly around a central point on the finger. File:Bovine Bone Sample and 430 times Magnification.jpg, In

histopathologic architecture Histopathology (compound of three Greek words: ''histos'' "tissue", πάθος ''pathos'' "suffering", and -λογία ''-logia'' "study of") refers to the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations of disease. Spec ...

, a whorled pattern consists of multiple concentric objects, or a spiral-shaped pattern. Bone tissue is shown. For

mollusc whorls A whorl is a single, complete 360° revolution or turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell. A spiral configuration of the shell is found in numerous gastropods, but it is also found in shelled cephalopods including ''Nautilus'', ''Spirula'' ...

, the

body whorl The body whorl is part of the morphology of the shell in those gastropod mollusks that possess a coiled shell. The term is also sometimes used in a similar way to describe the shell of a cephalopod mollusk. In gastropods In gastropods, the b ...

in a mollusc shell the most recently formed whorl of a spiral shell, terminating in the aperture.

Whorls in human-made objects

> File:Spindle Whorl (Sulsultin), 19th century, 05.588.7382.jpg, A

spindle whorl A spindle whorl is a disc or spherical object fitted onto the spindle to increase and maintain the speed of the spin. Historically, whorls have been made of materials like amber, antler, bone, ceramic, coral, glass, stone, metal (iron, lead, lead ...

is a disc or spherical object fitted onto the spindle to increase and maintain the speed of the spin.

Whorls in nature

Whorls in human-made objects

References

See also