Emily Dickinson Lexicon

wheel (-s), n. [OE.] (webplay: round, spokes).

1. Water-powered millstone; revolving wooden rack that converts flowing water into a power source for grinding grain into flour; [metaphor] spinning frame; circular part of a wooden instrument that twists fibers into yarn or thread; [fig.] poetic composition; transformation of thoughts into lines of verse.
2. Swirl; whirl; eddy; vortex; circular pattern from wind currents; [fig.] ballet slipper; dance steps; toe-dancing movements; fast-moving footwork.
3. Cyclone; whirlwind; hurricane; funnel cloud; circling tropical storm front.
4. Existence; outer self; visible behavior; sphere of influence.
5. Circular frame; rotating ring by which a vehicle progresses forward; rim upon which something can roll forward.
6. Means of locomotion; instrument of flight through the atmosphere; [word play] transport; ecstasy; exaltation; rapture.
7. Circle; [fig.] sound waves; resonating ripple of consequences.
8. Cycle; season; round; cyclical passage of time.
9. Project; chore; job; habitual task; customary activity.
10. Oculus; optic; orb; ball; globe; [fig.] round organ of sight.
11. Circumference; ring supported by points radiating from its center; [metaphor] world; planet; star; universe; heavenly body; [metonymy] carriage; wagon; vehicle; conveyance; means of transportation; [fig.] orbit; round; circuit; circumference; course; destiny; fate; fortune; circular path.
12. Chariot (see 2 Kings 6:17); [fig.] storm front.
13. Motor; gear; cog mechanism; [fig.] lift; levitation; elevation; hovering motion; pair of hummingbird wings (see Ezekiel 1:15-16).
14. Phrase. “Purple Wheel”: night; twilight; dark hours of the day; [fig.] depression; period of doubt.