coil

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“
To the left of this coil was a large relay switch, and a rheostat control.

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Definitions (46)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (11)

  1. noun A series of connected spirals or concentric rings formed by gathering or winding: a coil of rope; long coils of hair.
  2. noun An individual spiral or ring within such a series.
  3. noun A spiral pipe or series of spiral pipes, as in a radiator.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (22)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (4)

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Examples (50)

  • In the center of this coil was the bottom part of the mast. —  Prodigal genius - Tesla Biography
  • Stimuli are given by a small electromagnetic coil which is guided over the head very much like driving a car with GPS. —  Medgadget
  • Millipedes (Order Myriapoda) Interesting to watch but can spend long periods in an inactive coil, which is pretty boring for children. —  MyLinkVault Newest Links
  • Clear () 42 'adapter receives data which we name coil, we can put any —  ASP.NET Forums
  • This coil was a relic of those distant times when there was no fire escape even outside the kitchen window of the Gambonis, and the landlord provided every tenant with this cruder means of flying the building. —  The Rich Little Poor Boy
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

wire ·  loop ·  strand ·  circuit ·  tube ·  magnet ·  cord ·  generator ·  motor ·  rod ·  core ·  battery

Used in the same contextWord Family

coil:   coils ·  coiled ·  coiling
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (7)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. Probably from obsolete French coillir, to gather up, from Latin colligere; see collect1.
  2. Origin unknown.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (5)

  1. Middle English not found (but see cull); from Old French coillir, also cuillir, cuellir (later English cull), French cueillir, gather, pluck, pick, cull, = Provencal coillir, cuelhir = Spanish coger = Portuguese colher = Italian cogliere, from Latin colligere, conligere, gather together, past participle collectus (later English collect: see collect), from com-, together, + legere, gather: see legend.
  2. from coil, v.
  3. Prob. Celtic: from Gael, and Irish goill, war, fight, Gaelic goil, boiling, fume, battle, rage, fury; coileid, stir, movement, noise; from Gaelic goil, Irish goil-aim, boil, rage.
  4. English dial. Cf. coil, n.
  5. English dial., variant of cole, q. v.
 

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/kɔɪl/
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