Catherine wheel

noun

Cath·​er·​ine wheel ˈka-th(ə-)rin- 

1

: a wheel with spikes projecting from the rim

2

: pinwheel sense 1

3

: cartwheel sense 2

Examples of Catherine wheel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At the top, a jagged, broken form recalls the razor-sharp spokes of a Catherine wheel, a notorious public torture device common to medieval Europe. —Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2023

Everything's wild rumpus springs from the everyday struggles of an L.A. laundromat owner (Michelle Yeoh) and her semi-estranged husband and daughter (Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu, respectively), then starts shooting out sparks from there like a Catherine wheel. —Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 28 June 2022

Word History

Etymology

St. Catherine of Alexandria died about 307 Christian martyr

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1