spindle

The definition of a spindle is a thin rod used for spinning, or a yarn measurement.

(noun)

See spindle in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a slender rod or pin used in spinning; specif.,
1. in hand spinning, a rounded rod, usually wooden, tapering toward each end, for twisting into thread the fibers pulled from the material on the distaff, and notched at one end so as to hold the thread
2. on a spinning wheel, the rod by which the thread is twisted and on which it is then wound
3. in a spinning machine, any of the rods holding the bobbins on which the spun thread is wound
a measure for yarn, equal to 14,400 yards in linen or 15,120 yards in cotton
the spindle-shaped bundle of nuclear fibers formed during one stage of mitosis
a short turned piece or decorative rod, as in a baluster, the back of some chairs, etc.
any rod, pin, or shaft that revolves or serves as an axis for a revolving part, as an axle, arbor, or mandrel
in a lathe, a shaftlike part () that rotates while holding the thing to be turned, or a similar part () that does not rotate
the small, square shaft passing through a door lock, to which the doorknobs are attached
☆ a metal spike on a base, on which papers are impaled for temporary filing
also spindle file
hydrometer
Naut. a metal rod or pipe with a lantern, ball, etc. at its top, fastened to a rock, shoal, or the like as a warning to vessels

Origin: ME (with intrusive -d-) < OE spinel < spinnan, to spin

adjective

of or like a spindle or spindles

intransitive verb spindled, spindling

transitive verb

See spindle in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

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.
Any of various mechanical parts that revolve or serve as axes for larger revolving parts, as in a lock, axle, phonograph turntable, or lathe.
Any of various long thin stationary rods, as:
a. A spike on which papers may be impaled.
b. A baluster.
Biology The spindle-shaped achromatic structure, composed of microtubules, along which the chromosomes are distributed in mitosis and meiosis.
Coastal New Jersey See dragonfly. See Regional Note at dragonfly.