1. (n.) A mass of rotating water, air or fire forming a vacuum in the center; a whirlpool; an eddy; a tornado\.

2. (n.) A supposed collection of particles of very subtle matter, endowed with a rapid rotary motion around an axis which was also the axis of a sun or a planet. Descartes attempted to account for the formation of the universe, and the movements of the bodies composing it, by a theory of vortices.

3. (n.) Any one of numerous species of small Turbellaria belonging to Vortex and allied genera. See Illustration in Appendix.

Charybdis Maelstrom ado agitation back stream backflow backwash backwater bother botheration brouhaha burst bustle cirrus coil commotion condensation trail contrail corkscrew countercurrent counterflow counterflux curl curlicue disturbance dizzy round ebullience ebullition eddy effervescence embroilment evolute exhaust feery-fary ferment fermentation fidgetiness fit flap flurry fluster flutter flutteriness fume fuss fussiness gulf gurge gyre helix hubbub hullabaloo hurly-burly hurry hurry-scurry involute kink maelstrom pell-mell perturbation pirouette pother rat race reel refluence reflux regurgitation restlessness ringlet roll round ruffle scramble screw scroll spasm spin spiral spout spurt stew stir stream surge sweat swirl swirling tendril to-do tumult turbulence turmoil turn twirl twist unquiet uproar vapor trail volute volution wake wash wheel whirl whirlpool whirlwind whorl yeastiness