Whorl

(hwôrl, wôrl, hwûrl, wûrl) n.
  1. A form that coils or spirals; a curl or swirl.

  2. Botany. An arrangement of three or more leaves, petals, or other organs radiating from a single node.

  3. Zoology. A single turn or volution of a spiral shell.

  4. One of the circular ridges or convolutions of a fingerprint.

  5. Architecture. An ornamental device, as in stonework or weaving, consisting of stylized vine leaves and tendrils.

  6. A small flywheel that regulates the speed of a spinning wheel.