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Added 9 October 2026

curl

/kɜːl/ noun

In Latin: cirrus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about curl at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals).
American chemist who with Richard Smalley and Harold Kroto discovered fullerenes and opened a new branch of chemistry (born in 1933).
A strand or cluster of hair.

verb

Form a curl, curve, or kink.
the cigar smoke curled up at the ceiling
Shape one's body into a curl.
She curled farther down under the covers
Wind around something in coils or loops.

Origin

From metathesis of Middle English crulle (“curled, curly”), of uncertain origin but probably from an unrecorded Old English word or from Middle Dutch crul, crulle (“curl”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kruzlǭ (“bent or crooked object, curl”), connected to *krūsą (“curl”), of unknown origin. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Krulle (“curl, lock”), West Frisian krul (“curl”), Dutch krul (“curl”), German Low German Krull (“curl”), dialectal German Krolle (“curl”), Danish krølle (“curl”), Norwegian Bokmål krøll (“curl”). Related also to Saterland Frisian Kruus (“curl”), German kraus (“frizzy, crumpled, curly”), Danish krus (“curl”), Swedish krusa (“to crimp, curl”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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