n.
- a toy that spins round, e.g. a top or windmill.
- another term for roundabout (in sense 2).
- a process or activity characterized by constant change or hectic activity:
the whirligig of time.
-
(also whirligig beetle)
a small black water beetle which typically swims rapidly in circles on the surface.
[Family Gyrinidae.]
Etymology
ME: from whirl + obs. gig ‘toy for whipping’.