ferris

Fer-ris · proper_noun

imported

Definitions

proper_noun

  1. 1.

    A surname of English and Irish origin, derived from the name Fergus.

  2. 2.

    (in "Ferris wheel") A large rotating wheel with passenger cars, named after its inventor George Ferris.

Related words

See also: amusement, wheel

Etymology

From the Irish name Fergus, meaning "man of vigor" or "strong man," derived from Old Irish fer ("man") + gus ("vigor, force"). The surname became famous through George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. (1859-1896), who invented the Ferris wheel for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.