spiralling
Meaning
Moving in a continuous curve that winds around a central point.
(of prices, costs, etc.) rising or falling rapidly and uncontrollably.
Structure
Usage
The bird was caught in a spiralling updraft.
The country is facing a spiralling debt crisis.
She watched the spiralling smoke rise from the chimney.
Etymology
The word 'spiralling' is built upon the noun 'spiral', which traces its lineage to the Latin spira, meaning a coil or twist, itself derived from the Greek speira (a coil, twist, wreath). The addition of the present participle suffix '-ing' transforms it into an adjective, literally describing the action of forming a coil. This concrete visual logic of a continuous, winding path was then metaphorically extended to describe any process—like inflation or a crisis—that seems to accelerate or intensify in a similarly uncontrolled, circular motion, moving ever further from a stable center.
Analysis
spiral: From Latin spiralis (coiling), from spira (coil, twist). Functions as the core root. ling: From Old English -ende, the present participle suffix, forming adjectives from verbs.