spool

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“
While Kate Orr bridled indignantly the spool was lowered, and the kitten tapped several times on one side, several times on the other, then, to an outburst of laughing and clapping, sat up and began hitting it rapidly with both paws.

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Definitions (16)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (6)

  1. noun A cylinder of wood, plastic, cardboard, or other material on which wire, thread, or string is wound.
  2. noun The amount of wire, thread, or string wound on such a cylinder.
  3. noun Something similar to such a cylinder in shape or function.
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Examples (50)

  • This spool was one of the new ones; she hadn't used any wire from it yet, she thought. —  The Cold Moon
  • About the spindle of the spool was wrapped several yards of fine flexible wire, one end of which was firmly fixed to the spindle. —  Wonder Stories Quarterly Summer 1932
  • “Let me see the ‘S’s.” The unwinding spool was a blur on the screen. —  Time Quarry Pt.3
  • However, some tubular cylinders (e.g. the Ace-II lock and the tubular models of American-brand padlocks) are made to very tight tolerances and use mushroom, spool, and serrated security pins Dimple-Key Pin Tumbler Locks A few pin tumbler lock products orient the key horizontally in the keyway and use a flat key bitted with variable-depth holes ("dimples") rather than the cuts used for the familiar "sawtooth" key. —  Notes on Picking Pin Tumbler Locks
  • I looked over to my mantle to find this tall vintage spool, and a box of matches and quickly improvised. —  Quiltville's Quips & Snips!!
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Etymologies (4)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. Middle English spole, from Old North French espole and from Middle Dutch and Middle Low German spoele (Old North French, from Middle Dutch).
  2. s(imultaneous) p(eripheral) o(perations) o(n) l(ine).

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English spole (not in Anglo-Saxon), from Middle Dutch spoele, Dutch spoel, a spool, quill, = Middle Low German spōle, Low German spole = Old High German spuolo, spuolā, Middle High German spuole, German spule, a spool, bobbin, = Icelandic spōla = Swedish Danish spole, a spool (cf. Italian spola, spuola, bobbin, Old French epolet, spindle, from Teutonic); perhaps akin to Icelandic spölr, a rail, a bar: see spale.
  2. from spool, n.
 

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/spul/
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