wheel

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hweogol, hwēol; akin to Old Norse hvēl wheel, Greek kyklos circle, wheel, Sanskrit cakra, Latin colere to cultivate, inhabit, Sanskrit carati he moves, wanders Date: before 12th century 1. a circular frame of hard material that may be solid, partly solid, or spoked and that is capable of turning on an axle 2. a contrivance or apparatus having as its principal part a wheel: as a. a chiefly medieval instrument of torture designed for mutilating a victim (as by stretching or disjointing) b. bicycle c. any of many revolving disks or drums used as gambling paraphernalia d. potter's wheel e. steering wheel 3. a. an imaginary turning wheel symbolizing the inconstancy of fortune b. a recurring course, development, or action ; cycle 4. something (as a round flat cheese) resembling a wheel in shape 5. a. a curving or circular movement b. a rotation or turn usually about an axis or center; specifically a turning movement of troops or ships in line in which the units preserve alignment and relative positions as they change direction 6. a. a moving or essential part of something compared to a machine <

the wheels of government

> b. a directing or controlling force c. a person of importance especially in an organization <

a big wheel

> 7. the refrain or burden of a song 8. a. a circuit of theaters or places of entertainment b. a sports league 9. plural, slang a wheeled vehicle; especially automobile 10. plural, slang legs • wheelless adjective II. verb Date: 13th century intransitive verb 1. to turn on or as if on an axis ; revolve 2. to change direction as if revolving on a pivot <

the battalion would have wheeled to the flank — Walter Bernstein

> <

her mind will wheel around to the other extreme — Liam O'Flaherty

> <

wheeled to face her opponent

> 3. to move or extend in a circle or curve <

birds in wheeling flight

> <

valleys where young cotton wheeled slowly in fanlike rows — William Faulkner

> 4. to travel on or as if on wheels or in a wheeled vehicle transitive verb 1. to cause to turn on or as if on an axis ; rotate 2. to convey or move on or as if on wheels or in a wheeled vehicle <

wheeled the patient back to his room

> <

wheeled the car into the driveway

> <

wheel in the experts

> 3. to cause to change direction as if revolving on a pivot 4. to make or perform in a circle or curve