pinwheel

noun

toy windmill
cryptographic device

Wiktionary

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *pinnaz Proto-West Germanic *pinn Old English pinn Middle English pinne English pin Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- Proto-Indo-European *kʷekʷléh₂ Proto-Germanic *hweulō Old English hwēol Middle English whel English wheel English pinwheel From pin + wheel.

An artificial flower with a stem, usually plastic, for children: the flower spins round in the wind, like a small paper windmill.
A firework which forms a kind of spinning wheel.
“The sun blazing late in the afternoon, this long hilarious day like a pinwheel inexhaustibly throwing off sparks.”
A cogged (toothed) gear.
A pastry which resembles the artificial flowers above, with some filling or topping in the center.
Any food product consisting of layers (for example of pastry and sweet filling, or of bread and meat) rolled into a spiral, visually similar to a cinnamon roll.

verb

To spin.
“The damaged fighter jet pinwheeled out of control, the g-forces pushing the pilot so hard he couldn't reach the ejection switch.”
“Uncertainly, he stepped back, bumping into the short skirt of the seawall. He stumbled and pinwheeled his arms for balance.”