Etymology
Usually explained as a native ideophonic formation, described by
OED as ‘imitative of a rumbling sound’, but it has also been compared (see GDS and Kullnick) to Dan
hvirre and Sw dial
hvirra, implying the possibility of an ideophonic variant of ME
whirren, PDE
whir v., for which a Scandinavian derivation is sometimes entertained: perhaps an ON
*hvirfa with assimilation (thus Falk-Torp,
OED), and in that case related to OIcel
hverfa ‘to turn’ and
hvirfla ‘to whirl’; see further
wyrles (v.).
PGmc Ancestor
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
hverfa ‘to turn’ and hvirfla ‘to whirl’
(ONP hverfa (1)(v.))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
Dan hvirre, Sw dial hvirra
OE Cognate
Phonological and morphological markers
Summary category
BB1c