Words to the wise

Cerebral gyri and nasal turbinates do not, at first, appear to have much in common, but both derive their names from turning words.

The scroll shaped edge of a turbinate bone recalls the spiral structure of a turbinate seashell, which in turn resembles a Roman spinning top, turbo. This word was also used for a whirlwind, explaining the connection to turbine. The rotary chaos of the whirlwind also explains the Latin turba, a disorderly crowd, which gives us turbulent and turbid, as well as perturb and disturb.

The cerebral gyri are named for their curved shape: gyrus is Latin for …