1. [N. Amer] A toy windmill consisting of vanes of coloured paper or plastic attached to a stick that spins when exposed to wind
   "Children ran around the garden with their colourful pinwheel wind collectors";
   - pinwheel wind collector [N. Amer], windmill [Brit]
    
2. [N. Amer] A circular firework that spins round and round emitting coloured fire
   "Children watched in awe as the pinwheel spun and sparkled";
   - catherine wheel
    
3. A wheel that has numerous pins that are set at right angles to its rim
   "he spun the pinwheel and it stopped with the pointer on ‘Go’"
    
4. Perennial subshrub of Tenerife having leaves in rosettes resembling pinwheels
   "The pinwheel's geometric rosettes created striking patterns in the garden";
   - Aeonium haworthii

Derived forms: pinwheels

Type of: firework, plaything, pyrotechnic, subshrub, suffrutex, toy, wheel

Part of: Aeonium, genus Aeonium

Encyclopedia: Pinwheel