eddy

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A current, as of water or air, moving contrary to the direction of the main current, especially in a circular motion.
2. n. A drift or tendency that is counter to or separate from a main current, as of opinion, tradition, or history.
3. v. To move in or as if in an eddy. See Synonyms at turn.
4. v. To cause to move in or as if in an eddy.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A part of a fluid, as a stream of water, which has a rotatory motion; any small whirl or vortex in a fluid. Eddies are due to the viscosity of fluids, and to the very small degree to which they slip over the surfaces of solids. A portion of fluid to which a rotatory motion has once been communicated loses this motion only by the gradual effect of viscosity, so that eddies subsist for some time. They are always found between counter-currents.
2. n. Synonyms See stream.
3. To move circularly or in a winding manner, as the water of an eddy, or so as to resemble the movement of an eddy.
4. To cause to move in an eddy; collect as into an eddy; cause to whirl.

Wiktionary

1. n. A current of air or water running back, or in an opposite direction to the main current. Especially a circular current.
2. v. intransitive To form an eddy.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A current of air or water running back, or in a direction contrary to the main current.
2. n. A current of water or air moving in a circular direction; a whirlpool.
3. v. To move as an eddy, or as in an eddy; to move in a circle.
4. v. rare To collect as into an eddy.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. founder of Christian Science in 1866 (1821-1910)
2. v. flow in a circular current, of liquids
3. n. a miniature whirlpool or whirlwind resulting when the current of a fluid doubles back on itself