spindle
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spindle
a pin in a spinning wheel used for twisting and winding the thread; a pin bearing the bobbin for a spinning machine; a turned piece of wood used as a banister, chair leg, etc.
Not to be confused with:
bobbin – a cylinder or cone for holding thread; a spool or reel
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
spin·dle
(spĭn′dl)n.
1.
a. A rod or pin, tapered at one end and usually weighted at the other, on which fibers are spun by hand into thread and then wound.
b. A similar rod or pin used for spinning on a spinning wheel.
c. A pin or rod holding a bobbin or spool on which thread is wound on an automated spinning machine.
2. Any of various mechanical parts that revolve or serve as axes for larger revolving parts, as in a lock, axle, phonograph turntable, or lathe.
3. Any of various long thin stationary rods, as:
a. A spike on which papers may be impaled.
b. A baluster.
4. Biology A cytoplasmic network composed of microtubules along which the chromosomes are distributed during mitosis and meiosis.
5. Anatomy See muscle spindle.
6. Coastal New Jersey See dragonfly.
v. spin·dled, spin·dling, spin·dles
v.tr.
1. To furnish or equip with a spindle or spindles.
2. To impale or perforate on a spindle: Do not fold, spindle, or mutilate this card.
v.intr.
To grow into a thin, elongated, or weak form.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
spindle
(ˈspɪndəl)n
1. (Textiles) a rod or stick that has a notch in the top, used to draw out natural fibres for spinning into thread, and a long narrow body around which the thread is wound when spun
2. (Textiles) one of the thin rods or pins bearing bobbins upon which spun thread is wound in a spinning wheel or machine
3. (Mechanical Engineering) any of various parts in the form of a rod, esp a rotating rod that acts as an axle, mandrel, or arbor
4. (Building) a piece of wood that has been turned, such as a baluster or table leg
5. (Building) a small square metal shaft that passes through the lock of a door and to which the door knobs or handles are fixed
6. (Units) a measure of length of yarn equal to 18 hanks (15 120 yards) for cotton or 14 400 yards for linen
7. (Biology) biology a spindle-shaped structure formed by microtubules during mitosis or meiosis which draws the duplicated chromosomes apart as the cell divides
8. (Chemistry) a less common name for a hydrometer
9. (Nautical Terms) a tall pole with a marker at the top, fixed to an underwater obstruction as an aid to navigation
10. (Navigation) a tall pole with a marker at the top, fixed to an underwater obstruction as an aid to navigation
11. (Commerce) a device consisting of a sharp upright spike on a pedestal on which bills, order forms, etc, are impaled
12. (Plants) short for spindle tree
vb
13. (tr) to form into a spindle or equip with spindles
14. (Botany) (intr) rare (of a plant, stem, shoot, etc) to grow rapidly and become elongated and thin
[Old English spinel; related to spinnan to spin, Old Saxon spinnila spindle, Old High German spinnala]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
spin•dle
(ˈspɪn dl)n., v. -dled, -dling. n.
1. a rounded rod, usu. of wood, tapering toward each end, used in hand-spinning to twist into thread the fibers drawn from the mass on the distaff, and on which the thread is wound as it is spun.
2. the rod on a spinning wheel by which the thread is twisted and on which it is wound.
3. one of the rods of a spinning machine that bear the bobbins on which the spun thread is wound.
4. any shaft, rod, or pin that turns around or on which something turns, as an axle, arbor, or mandrel.
5. a vertical shaft that serves to center a phonograph record on a turntable.
6. a measure of yarn containing, for cotton, 15,120 yards (13,825 m) and for linen, 14,400 yards (13,267 m).
7. a spindle-shaped structure, composed of microtubules, that forms near the cell nucleus during mitosis or meiosis and, as it divides, draws the chromosomes to opposite poles of the cell.
8. a short, turned or circular ornament, as in a baluster or stair rail.
v.t. 9. to give the form of a spindle to.
10. to provide or equip with a spindle or spindles.
11. to impale (a card or paper) on a spindle, as for sorting purposes.
v.i. 12. to shoot up or grow into a long, slender stalk or stem, as a plant.
13. to grow tall and slender, often disproportionately so.
[before 900; Middle English spindel (n.), Old English spin(e)l, c. Old Saxon, Old High German spinnila; see spin, -le]
spin′dle•like`, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
spin·dle
(spĭn′dl)The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
spindle
Past participle: spindled
Gerund: spindling
| Imperative |
|---|
| spindle |
| spindle |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  spindle - (biology) tiny fibers that are seen in cell division; the fibers radiate from two poles and meet at the equator in the middle; "chromosomes are distributed by spindles in mitosis and meiosis"biological science, biology - the science that studies living organisms |
| 2. | spindle - a piece of wood that has been turned on a lathe; used as a baluster, chair leg, etc. piece - a separate part of a whole; "an important piece of the evidence" wood - the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees | |
| 3. |  spindle - any of various rotating shafts that serve as axes for larger rotating partsdrive - (computer science) a device that writes data onto or reads data from a storage medium rotating shaft, shaft - a revolving rod that transmits power or motion | |
| 4. | spindle - a stick or pin used to twist the yarn in spinning spinning frame - spinning machine that draws, twists, and winds yarn spinning wheel - a small domestic spinning machine with a single spindle that is driven by hand or foot stick - an implement consisting of a length of wood; "he collected dry sticks for a campfire"; "the kid had a candied apple on a stick" | |
| 5. | spindle - any holding device consisting of a rigid, sharp-pointed object; "the spike pierced the receipts and held them in order" holding device - a device for holding something |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
spindle
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
مِغْزَل
osa
pind
akselipaperipiikkipiikkisorvarinpensastappi
snúîur, teinn
kaip šeivaverpstė
assvārpsta
spindel
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
spindle
n (for spinning, Mech) → Spindel f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
spindle
(ˈspindl) noun a thin pin on which something turns. I can't turn on the radio any more, because the spindle of the control knob has broken.
ˈspindly adjective very long and thin.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
spin·dle
n. huso.
1. estructura o célula en forma de rodillo;
2. forma que toman los cromosomas durante la mitosis y la meiosis.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012