curl

Etymology

From metathesis of Middle English crulle (“curled, curly”), from Middle Dutch crul, crulle (“curl”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kruzlǭ (“bent or crooked object, 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 krull (“curl”). Related also to Saterland Frisian Kruus (“curl”), German kraus (“frizzy, crumpled, curly”), Swedish krusa (“to crimp, curl”). Compare also Gothic 𐌺𐍂𐌹𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽 (kriustan, “to grind, crush, gnash”).

noun

1. A curving piece or lock of hair; a ringlet.
   […]she took it down, looked long and fondly at it, then, shaking her curls about her face, as if to hide the act, pressed it to her lips and seemed to weep over it in an uncontrollable paroxysm of tender grief. 1866, Louisa May Alcott, chapter 7, in Behind A Mask or, A Woman's Power
   Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes.[…]She put back a truant curl from her forehead where it had sought egress to the world, and looked him full in the face now, drawing a deep breath which caused the round of her bosom to lift the lace at her throat. 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter 1, in The Purchase Price
   The face which emerged was not reassuring. […]. He was not a mongol but there was a deficiency of a sort there, and it was not made more pretty by a latter-day hair cut which involved eccentrically long elf-locks and oiled black curls. 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 17, in The China Governess
2. A curved stroke or shape.
   […] the backs of their necks and their forelegs are decorated with curls and their necks and bodies are covered with fine, undulating lines. 1995, John Curtis, Julian Reade, Dominique Collon, Art and Empire: Treasures from Assyria in the British Museum, page 184
3. A spin making the trajectory of an object curve.
   It is possible to use the wind which blows from the left to the right by playing well into the wind with the slightest bit of curl on the ball[…] 1909, Harold Horsfall Hilton, The Six Handicap Golfer's Companion, page 38
4. (curling) Movement of a moving rock away from a straight line.
5. (weightlifting) Any exercise performed by bending the arm, wrist, or leg on the exertion against resistance, especially those that train the biceps.
   Now do a curl and an overhead press, keeping your palms facing in. 2007 (Jan/Feb), Jon Crosby, "Your Winter Muscle Makeover", Men's Health, page 54
6. (calculus) The vector field denoting the rotationality of a given vector field.
   In 2D, when Q is a polygonal domain, the singularities of Type (2) disappear because ψ is the scalar curl of u and is such that its vectorial curl is zero. 1995, Erich Prisner, Graph dynamics
   {{ux|en|The curl of the vector field ⃑F(x,y,z) is the vector field operatorname curl,⃑F≡⃑∇×⃑F=((∂F_z)/(∂y)-(∂F_y)/(∂z),(∂F_x)/(∂z)-(∂F_z)/(∂x),(∂F_y)/(∂x)-(∂F_x)/(∂y)).}}
7. (calculus, proper noun) The vector operator, denoted rm curl; or ⃑∇×⃑(·), that generates this field.
8. (agriculture) Any of various diseases of plants causing the leaves or shoots to curl up; often specifically the potato curl.
   These potatoes, however, planted the next year, have a fair yield, untouched by the curl. 1840, "Farmers' Department", The Family Magazine, volume 1, page 227
9. (music, chiefly lutherie) The contrasting light and dark figure seen in wood used for stringed instrument making; the flame.
   The one-piece back is of a medium curl.
10. (American football) A pattern where the receiver appears to be running a fly pattern but after a set number of steps or yards quickly stops and turns around, looking for a pass.

verb

1. (transitive) To cause to move in a curve.
   He picked the ball up about forty yards out on the left wing, left a trail of Arsenal defenders in his wake, and curled the ball round Geoff Barnett as he came right out into the far corner. 1998, Nick Hornby, Fever Pitch, page 70
   Campbell should have scored but missed with a header from four yards at the far post before Taylor-Fletcher came close to adding a second when he curled an effort over the stranded Reina, who should have been punished for a poor clearance. January 12, 2011, Saj Chowdhury, “Liverpool 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC
2. (transitive) To make into a curl or spiral.
   She curls her spine; she wedges a pillow between her knees. 2004, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Twelve Times Blessed, page 249
3. (intransitive) To assume the shape of a curl or spiral.
   It seemed to me that Mr. St. John's under lip protruded, and his upper lip curled a moment. 1847, Charlotte Brontë, chapter XXXI, in Jane Eyre
4. (intransitive) To move in curves.
   Clouds curled down from the mountains. 1977, Scott O'Dell, Carlota, page 1
   The ball curled to a stop within six inches of the hole. 2007, John Coyne, The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan, page 97
5. (intransitive, curling) To take part in the sport of curling.
   I curl at my local club every weekend.
6. (transitive, weightlifting) To exercise by bending the arm, wrist, or leg on the exertion against resistance, especially of the biceps.
   When curling the weight, bring the barbell up toward the chin, then return it to its starting position. Keep your elbows and upper arms as immobile as possible to isolate the biceps. 2008, Joseph Lee Klapper, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Boosting Your Metabolism, page 119
7. To twist or form (the hair, etc.) into ringlets.
   But curl their locks with bodkins and with braids 1576, George Gascoigne, The Steele Glas, Epilogus
8. To deck with, or as if with, curls; to ornament.
   Curling with metaphors a plain intention. 1633, George Herbert, Jordan
9. To raise in waves or undulations; to ripple.
10. (hat-making) To shape (the brim of a hat) into a curve.