whirligig

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The Word of the Day for December 10 is:

whirligig   \WER-lih-ghig\   noun
   *1 : a child's toy having a whirling motion 
     2 : merry-go-round 
     3 a : one that continuously whirls, moves, or changes b : a 
whirling or circling course (as of events) 

Example sentence:
     The more he earned the more he spent, and Sam felt like he 
was trapped in a never-ending whirligig of debt.

Did you know? 
     English speakers, and particularly children, began spinning 
whirligigs as early as the 15th century. Since then, "whirligig" 
has acquired several meanings beyond its initial toy sense. It 
even has a place in the name of the whirligig beetle, a member 
of the family Gyrinidae that swiftly swims in circles on the 
surface of still water. The word "whirligig" comes to us from 
Middle English "whirlegigg" ("whirling top"), which is itself 
from "whirlen," meaning "to whirl," and "gigg," meaning "(toy) 
top."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.