Vortex
WordNet
noun
(1) A powerful circular current of water (usually the result of conflicting tides)
(2) The shape of something rotating rapidly
WiktionaryText
Noun
- A whirlwind, whirlpool, or similarly moving matter in the form of a spiral or column.
- Anything that involves constant violent or chaotic activity around some centre.
- Anything which inevitably draws surrounding things into its current.
Quotations
2004: the consumer vortex that is East Hampton — The New Yorker, 30 August 2004, p.38