spindle
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spindle¹
- /ˈspɪndəl/
Rhymes with -ɪndəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English spyndel, spindle, spyndylle, from Old English spindle, spindel, alteration of earlier spinel, spinil, spinl (“spindle”), from Proto-West Germanic *spinnilu (“spindle”), equivalent to spin + -le. Cognate with Scots spindil, spinnell (“spindle”), Dutch spindel ("spindle"; < Middle Dutch spille, spinle), German Spindel (“spindle”), Danish spindel (“spindle”), Swedish spindel (“spindle”).
The dragonfly sense (noun sense 14) is a calque of Swedish slända (dragonfly/spindle); this word was introduced by New Sweden settlers.
noun spindles · spindel · spinnel
- A rod used for spinning and then winding fibres (especially wool), usually consisting of a shaft and a circular whorl positioned at either the upper or lower end of the shaft when suspended vertically from the forming thread. Anna Pavlovna’s soirée was now in full swing. On all sides the spindles were humming away non-stop.
- A rod which turns, or on which something turns. the spindle of a vane
- A rotary axis of a machine tool or power tool.
- The axle of a bottom bracket. Check ball bearings for pitting, cracks, disorderly conduct; cups and cones for uneven wear; spindle for straightness.
-
Certain species within the genus Euonymus, historically used to manufacture spindles for wool spinning.
Similar: spindle tree
- An upright spike for holding paper documents by skewering. check spindle
- The fusee of a watch.
- Any long and slender stalk resembling a spindle from Euonymus.
- A yarn measure containing, in cotton yarn, 15,120 yards; in linen yarn, 14,400 yards.
- A solid generated by the revolution of a curved line about its base or double ordinate or chord.
- Any marine univalve shell of the genus Tibia; a spindle stromb.
- Any marine gastropod with a spindle-shaped shell formerly in one of the three invalid genera called Fusus.
- A cytoskeletal structure formed during mitosis.
- A dragonfly.
- A plastic container for packaging optical discs such as CDs or DVDs, having a central column that passes through the central holes in the discs and keeps them in a stack.
- A muscle spindle.
- A sleep spindle. One of the fascinating characteristics of sleep spindles is that they are generated by the thalamic reticular nucleus, and do not occur in the presence of NE. In fact, LC neurons fall silent in the second preceding each spindle […]
verb spindles · spindling · spindled · spindel · spinnel
- To make into a long tapered shape.
- To take on a long tapered shape.
- To impale on a device for holding paper documents. Do not fold, spindle or mutilate this document.
Spindle²
Where it comes from
Originally a nickname for someone who made, sold, or used spindles.
proper noun Spindles
- A surname transferred from the nickname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: mandrel, arbor, mandril, brooch, pin, lynchpin, axle, rod, tailstock, centrepiece, drill, shaft, linchpin, countershaft, column, swivel
Translations
Every language
noun rod in spinning and winding thread
| Español | huso, fuso (disused) |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 방추 bangchu, 물레가락 mullegarak |
| 日本語 | 紡錘 bōsui, 錘 tsumu |
| 中文 | 紡錘 /纺锤 fǎngchuí, 錠子 /锭子 dìngzi |
| हिन्दी | तकला taklā, तकली taklī |
| Português | fuso |
| Français | fuseau |
| Deutsch | Spindel |
| Italiano | fuso |
| Ελληνικά | αδράχτι adráchti |
| Română | fus |
| Русский | веретено́ veretenó |
| Tiếng Việt | cọc, sợi |
| العربية | مِغْزَل miḡzal |
| עברית | פֶּלֶך pélekh |
noun rod which turns, or on which something turns round
| Español | palier, semieje |
|---|---|
| Français | essieu |
| Deutsch | Spindel |
| Română | osie |
| Русский | шпи́ндель špíndelʹ, ось osʹ |
| עברית | סֶרֶן séren |
noun trees of the genus Euonymus
| 한국어 | 화살나무 hwasallamu |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Spindelstrauch |
| Română | salbă-moale |
| Русский | берескле́т beresklét |
noun computing: a plastic container for packaging optical discs
| Español | tarrina |
|---|
Talk about this word "spindle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/spindle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. spindle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/spindle "spindle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/spindle.Cite this
@misc{spindle_2026,
title = {spindle},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/spindle},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
