reel

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A device, such as a cylinder, spool, or frame, that turns on an axis and is used for winding and storing rope, tape, film, or other flexible materials.
2. n. A cylindrical device attached to a fishing rod to let out or wind up the line.
3. n. The quantity of wire, film, or other material wound on one reel.
4. n. A set of curved lawn-mower blades that rotate around a bar parallel to the ground, cutting grass while moving against a stationary straight blade.
5. v. To wind on or let out from a reel.
6. v. To recover by winding on a reel: reel in a large fish.
7. reel off To recite fluently and usually at length: reeled off a long list of names and dates.
8. v. To be thrown off balance or fall back: reeled from the sharp blow.
9. v. To stagger, lurch, or sway, as from drunkenness: reeled down the alley.
10. v. To go round and round in a whirling motion: gulls reeling and diving.
11. v. To feel dizzy: My head reeled with the facts and figures.
12. v. To cause to reel.
13. n. A staggering, swaying, or whirling movement.
14. n. A moderately fast dance of Scottish origin.
15. n. The Virginia reel.
16. n. The music for one of these dances.
17. n. Maine A hand-held hammer used in a quarry for shaping granite blocks. See Regional Note at reeling.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A cylinder or frame turning on an axis, on which thread, yarn, string, rope, etc, are wound. Specifically— A roller or bobbin for thread used in sewing; a spool.
2. n. A machine on which yarn is wound to form it into hanks, skeins, etc.
3. n. In rope-making, the frame on which the spun-yarns are wound as each length is twisted, previous to tarring or laying up into strands.
4. n. The revolving frame upon which silk-fiber is wound from the cocoon.
5. n. Anything prepared for winding thread upon, as an open framework turning on a pivot at each end, upon which thread is wound as it is spun, or when a skein is opened for use.
6. n. In telegraphy, a barrel on which the strip of paper for receiving the message is wound in a recording telegraph.
7. n. A winch used by English and Scotch whalemen for regaining the tow-line. It is not employed by Americans.
8. n. Nautical, a revolving frame varying in size, used for winding up hawsers, hose, lead-line, loglines, etc.
9. n. A windlass for hoisting oyster-dredges.
10. n. In milling, the drum on which the bolting cloth is placed.
11. n. In agriculture, a cylinder formed of light slats and radial arms, used with a reaper to gather the grain into convenient position for the knives to operate on it, and to direct its fall on the platform.
12. n. In baking, a cylindrical frame carrying bread-pans suspended from the horizontal arms of the frame. It is used in a form of oven called a reel oven.
13. n. A device used in angling, attached to the rod, for winding the line, consisting of a cylinder revolving on an axis moved by a small crank or spring. The salmon-reel is about four inches, and the trout-reel about two inches in diameter; the length is about two inches. In angling the reel plays an important part, its use and action requiring to be in perfect accord or correspondence with the play of the rod and line. To meet these requirements, clicks and multipliers are employed. The click checks the line from running out too freely, and the multiplier gathers in the slack with increased speed.
14. n. A hose-carriage.
15. To wind upon a reel, as yarn or thread from the spindle, or a fishing-line.
16. To turn round and round; whirl.
17. To sway from side to side in standing or walking; stagger, especially as one drunk.
18. To be affected with a whirling or dizzy sensation: as, his brain reeled.
19. Synonyms Reel, Stagger, and Totter have in common the idea of an involuntary unsteadiness, a movement toward falling. Only animate beings reel or stagger; a tower or other erect object may toter. Reel suggests dizziness or other loss of balance; stagger suggests a burden too great to be carried steadily, or a walk such as one would have in carrying such a burden; totter suggests weakness: one reels upon being struck on the head; a drunken man, a wounded man, staggers; the infant and the very aged totter.
20. To turn about; roll about.
21. To roll.
22. To reel or stagger through.
23. To cause to reel, stagger, totter, or shake.
24. n. A staggering motion, as that of a drunken man; giddiness.
25. n. (The attendant … carries off Lepidus [drunk].)… Eno, Drink thou; increase the reels.
26. n. A lively dance, danced by two or three couples, and consisting of various circliug or intertwining figures. it is very popular in Scotland. The strathspey (which see) is slower, and full of sudden jerks and turns.
27. n. Music for such a dance or in its rhythm, which is duple (or rarely sextuple), and characterized by notes of equal length.
28. To dance the reel; especially, to describe the figure 8 as in a reel.

Wiktionary

1. n. A lively dance of the Highlanders of Scotland; also, the music to the dance; -- often called Scotch reel.
2. n. A frame with radial arms, or a kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound
3. n. A machine on which yarn is wound and measured into lays and hanks, -- for cotton or linen it is fifty-four inches in circuit; for worsted, thirty inches.
4. n. A device consisting of radial arms with horizontal stats, connected with a harvesting machine, for holding the stalks of grain in position to be cut by the knives.
5. n. A short compilation of sample film work used as a demonstrative resume in the entertainment industry.
6. v. To wind on a reel.
7. v. To spin or revolve repeatedly.
8. v. To unwind, to bring or acquire something by spinning or winding something else.
9. v. To walk shakily or unsteadily; to stagger; move as if drunk or not in control of one's self.
10. v. To back off or step away unsteadily and quickly.
11. v. To make or cause to reel.
12. v. To be in shock

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A lively dance of the Highlanders of Scotland; also, the music to the dance; -- often called Scotch reel.
2. n. A frame with radial arms, or a kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound.
3. n. A machine on which yarn is wound and measured into lays and hanks, -- for cotton or linen it is fifty-four inches in circuit; for worsted, thirty inches.
4. n. (Agric.) A device consisting of radial arms with horizontal stats, connected with a harvesting machine, for holding the stalks of grain in position to be cut by the knives.
5. v. obsolete To roll.
6. v. To wind upon a reel, as yarn or thread.
7. v. To incline, in walking, from one side to the other; to stagger.
8. v. To have a whirling sensation; to be giddy.
9. n. The act or motion of reeling or staggering.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. winder consisting of a revolving spool with a handle; attached to a fishing rod
2. n. a winder around which thread or tape or film or other flexible materials can be wound
3. v. walk as if unable to control one's movements
4. v. wind onto or off a reel
5. v. revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis
6. n. an American country dance which starts with the couples facing each other in two lines
7. n. music composed for dancing a reel
8. n. a roll of photographic film holding a series of frames to be projected by a movie projector
9. n. a lively dance of Scottish Highlanders; marked by circular moves and gliding steps