Having a twisting or spinning pattern that goes round and round; creating a whirling or dizzying effect.
From 'swirl' (possibly from Middle Dutch 'swerl' or Swedish 'svirla'), dating to the 1600s, plus '-y' suffix to make adjectives. The '-y' ending transforms the verb into a descriptive word for something having that quality.
Your brain actually processes swirling patterns differently than straight lines—they trigger motion-detecting neurons even when the image is still. That's why swirly designs mess with your eyes and why whirlpools and galaxies use the same spiral math!
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