churn
UK: tʃɜːn | US: tʃɜːrn
n. 1. A container for agitating cream to produce butter.
vt. 2. To stir or agitate (a liquid) vigorously, especially to make butter.
vi. 3. (Of a liquid) To move about violently; to be in a state of turbulence.
vt. 4. (Business) To encourage frequent customer turnover (e.g., subscription cancellations).
The word "churn" traces back to Old English cyrin, meaning a vessel for making butter, derived from Proto-Germanic kernǭ. Its core idea of "agitation" expanded metaphorically to describe turbulent motion (e.g., "churning waves") and later business contexts (e.g., "customer churn"). The morpheme remains intact, reflecting its Germanic roots without further segmentation.
She used a wooden churn to make fresh butter.
The storm caused the ocean to churn violently.
The company aims to reduce customer churn by improving service.
His stomach began to churn with anxiety before the speech.
The washing machine churned the clothes noisily.