An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/zwirbeln

by Friedrich Kluge

zwirbeln, verb, ‘to twirl,’ from Middle High German zwirbeln, zwirben, ‘to move in a circle, whirl’ (zwirbel, masculine, ‘in circular motion,’ zwirbelwint, ‘whirlwind’), Allied to Old High German zęrben (*zarbjan), ‘to turn round,’ Anglo-Saxon tearflian, ‘to roll’?. Undoubted cognates in the non-Teutonic languages are wanting.