VOR'TEX, noun plural vortices or vortexes. [Latin from verto.] 1. A whirlpool; a whirling or circular motion of water, forming a kind of cavity in the center of the circle, and in some instances, drawing in water or absorbing other things. 2. A whirling of the air; a whirlwind. 3. In the Cartesian system, the circular motion originally impressed on the particles of matter, carrying them around their own axes, and around a common center. By means of these vortices. Descartes attempted to account for the formation of the universe.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI