curl
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /kɜːl/
ipa: [kʰəːɫ]
ipa: /kɜɹl/
ipa: [kʰɝɫ]
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)l
Forms: form: curls
Etymology: From metathesis of Middle English crulle (“curled, curly”), of uncertain origin but probably from an unrecorded Old English word or from Middle Dutch crul, crulle (“curl”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kruzlǭ (“bent or crooked object, curl”), connected to *krūsą (“curl”), of unknown origin.
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Krulle (“curl, lock”), West Frisian krul (“curl”), Dutch krul (“curl”), German Low German Krull (“curl”), dialectal German Krolle (“curl”), Danish krølle (“curl”), Norwegian Bokmål krøll (“curl”). Related also to Saterland Frisian Kruus (“curl”), German kraus (“frizzy, crumpled, curly”), Danish krus (“curl”), Swedish krusa (“to crimp, curl”). Compare also Gothic 𐌺𐍂𐌹𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽 (kriustan, “to grind, crush, gnash”).
Senses: examples: text: […]she took it down, looked long and fondly at it, then, shaking her curls about her face, as if to hide the act, pressed it to her lips and seemed to weep over it in an uncontrollable paroxysm of tender grief.
ref: 1866, Louisa May Alcott, chapter 7, in Behind A Mask or, A Woman's Power:
text: Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes.[…]She put back a truant curl from her forehead where it had sought egress to the world, and looked him full in the face now, drawing a deep breath which caused the round of her bosom to lift the lace at her throat.
ref: 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter 1, in The Purchase Price:
text: The face which emerged was not reassuring.[…]. He was not a mongol but there was a deficiency of a sort there, and it was not made more pretty by a latter-day hair cut which involved eccentrically long elf-locks and oiled black curls.
ref: 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 17, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
glosses: A curving piece or lock of hair; a ringlet.
examples: text: […] the backs of their necks and their forelegs are decorated with curls and their necks and bodies are covered with fine, undulating lines.
ref: 1995, John Curtis, Julian Reade, Dominique Collon, Art and Empire: Treasures from Assyria in the British Museum, page 184:
glosses: A curved stroke or shape.
examples: text: It is possible to use the wind which blows from the left to the right by playing well into the wind with the slightest bit of curl on the ball[…]
ref: 1909, Harold Horsfall Hilton, The Six Handicap Golfer's Companion, page 38:
glosses: A spin making the trajectory of an object curve.
topics: ball-games
curling
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: Movement of a moving rock away from a straight line.
examples: text: Now do a curl and an overhead press, keeping your palms facing in.
ref: 2007 (Jan/Feb), Jon Crosby, "Your Winter Muscle Makeover", Men's Health, page 54
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
weightlifting
glosses: Any exercise performed by bending the arm, wrist, or leg on the exertion against resistance, especially those that train the biceps.
examples: text: The curl of the vector field #92;vec#123;F#125;(x,y,z) is the vector field #92;operatorname#123;curl#125;#92;,#92;vec#123;F#125;#92;equiv#92;vec#123;#92;nabla#125;#92;times#92;vec#123;F#125;#61;#92;left(#92;frac#123;#92;partialF#95;z#125;#123;#92;partialy#125;-#92;frac#123;#92;partialF#95;y#125;#123;#92;partialz#125;,#92;frac#123;#92;partialF#95;x#125;#123;#92;partialz#125;-#92;frac#123;#92;partialF#95;z#125;#123;#92;partialx#125;,#92;frac#123;#92;partialF#95;y#125;#123;#92;partialx#125;-#92;frac#123;#92;partialF#95;x#125;#123;#92;partialy#125;#92;right).
text: In 2D, when Q is a polygonal domain, the singularities of Type (2) disappear because ψ is the scalar curl of u and is such that its vectorial curl is zero.
ref: 1995, Erich Prisner, Graph dynamics:
topics: calculus
mathematics
sciences
synonyms: mul:∇×
glosses: The vector field denoting the rotationality of a given vector field.
topics: calculus
mathematics
sciences
glosses: The vector operator, denoted rm curl; or ⃑∇×⃑(·), that generates this field.
examples: text: These potatoes, however, planted the next year, have a fair yield, untouched by the curl.
ref: 1840, "Farmers' Department", The Family Magazine, volume 1, page 227:
topics: agriculture
biology
botany
business
lifestyle
medicine
natural-sciences
pathology
phytopathology
sciences
glosses: Any of various diseases of plants causing the leaves or shoots to curl up; often specifically the potato curl.
examples: text: The one-piece back is of a medium curl.
topics: arts
crafts
entertainment
hobbies
lifestyle
lutherie
music
glosses: The contrasting light and dark figure seen in wood used for stringed instrument making; the flame.
topics: American-football
ball-games
football
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A pattern where the receiver appears to be running a fly pattern but after a set number of steps or yards quickly stops and turns around, looking for a pass.
topics: baking
cooking
food
lifestyle
glosses: A thin, curved piece of chocolate used as decoration.
examples: text: The main object in surfing is to always remain in the curl.
ref: 1966, Bruce Brown, director, The Endless Summer:
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
surfing
glosses: The concave part of a breaking wave.
Synonyms: sense: curving lock of hair
word: ringlet
sense: curved stroke or shape
word: curlicue
sense: curved stroke or shape
word: curve
sense: curved stroke or shape
word: flourish
sense: curved stroke or shape
word: loop
sense: curved stroke or shape
word: spiral
Coordinate terms: topics: calculus
mathematics
sciences
word: gradient
topics: calculus
mathematics
sciences
word: divergence
topics: calculus
mathematics
sciences
word: rotational
Derived terms: barbell curl
becurl
bicep curl
biceps curl
bluecurls
blue curls
cable curl
cheat curl
cheese curl
concentration curl
curl bar
curl grub
curlicue
curliness
curlless
curl-paper
curlpaper
curls for the girls
curlsome
curl-up
curly
dumbbell curl
hammer curl
high-cable curl
Jerry curl
jerry curl
Jheri curl
kiss curl
kiss-curl
leaf curl
leg curl
lipcurl
love curl
machine curl
pin curl
preacher curl
querl
reverse curl
scalar curl
spit curl
trunk curl
upcurl
Utah curls
wrist curl
Zottman curl