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Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[After Saint Catherine, of Alexandria (died AD 307), who was condemned to be tortured on a wheel.]
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Examples
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treeseed commented on the word catherine wheel
The Catherine wheel (also Catharine wheel, pinwheel) is a type of firework consisting of a powder-filled spiral tube, or an angled rocket mounted with a pin through its centre. When ignited, it rotates quickly, producing a display of sparks and coloured flame.
The firework is named for the wheel on which St. Catherine was martyred.
_Wikipedia
February 16, 2008