vortex
n. countablen. a mass of air or water that spins around very fast and pulls things into its center. It looks like a funnel or a whirlpool.
n. a mass of fluid, such as air or water, with a whirling or circular motion that tends to form a vacuum in the center. Often used metaphorically to describe a situation that draws everything into its center.
The water formed a small vortex as it went down the drain.
The pilot had to navigate carefully to avoid the powerful air vortex created by the larger jet taking off ahead of him.
The politician found himself trapped in a vortex of scandal and conflicting reports, unable to steer the public conversation back to his original policy goals.
Learned borrowing from Latin vortex. Doublet of vertex.
The plural form can be either 'vortices' (more formal/scientific) or 'vortexes' (more common in general usage).