pinwheel

Plural: pinwheels

Noun

• perennial subshrub of Tenerife having leaves in rosettes resembling pinwheels
• a wheel that has numerous pins that are set at right angles to its rim
  • "he spun the pinwheel and it stopped with the pointer on `Go'"
• a toy consisting of vanes of colored paper or plastic that is pinned to a stick and spins when it is pointed into the wind
• a circular firework that spins round and round emitting colored fire
• An artificial flower with a stem, usually plastic, for children: the flower spins round in the wind, like a small paper windmill.
• A firework which forms a kind of spinning wheel.
• A cogged (toothed) gear.
• A pastry which resembles the artificial flowers above, with some filling or topping in the center.
• Any food product consisting of layers (for example of pastry and sweet filling, or of bread and meat) rolled into a spiral, visually similar to a cinnamon roll.

Verb

• To spin.

Examples

• "The damaged fighter jet pinwheeled out of control, the g-forces pushing the pilot so hard he couldn't reach the ejection switch."

Synonyms

Aeonium haworthii, catherine wheel, pinwheel wind collector