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vor·tex

(vôrtĕks′)

n. pl. vor·tex·es or vor·ti·ces (-tĭ-sēz′)

1. A whirling mass of water or air that sucks everything near it toward its center.

2. A place or situation regarded as drawing into its center all that surrounds it, and hence being inescapable or destructive: a vortex of political infighting; a vortex of despair.

[Latin vortex, vortic-, variant of vertex, from vertere, to turn; see wer-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

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vortex

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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