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whirling

Verb
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Spinning, rotating, or turning around rapidly; conveys chaotic motion, dizzying speed, or wild dancing in descriptive verse.

Detailed Definition
Whirling describes fast circular motion, as if something is spinning or swirling. In this poem it helps make the army sound chaotic and unsettling, almost like a storm or vision.
Example
Example in poetry:
“I moan in sleep when I hear afar their whirling laughter” uses whirling for spinning or rushing in circles; “Leaves went whirling over the road” captures fast circular motion; “Whirling dancers blurred into firelight” links movement to visual uncertainty; “The hawk came whirling down the air” gives the participle kinetic force in a compressed line
Additional Notes
Although understandable from context, the word is used in a vivid poetic way that may prompt readers to pause.; Found in the poem, I Hear an Army by James Joyce
Also Known As
spinning swirling rotating twirling eddying
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