spindle
pronunciation
How to pronounce spindle in British English:
UK [ˈspɪndl]
How to pronounce spindle in American English:
US [ˈspɪndl]
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- Noun:
- (biology) tiny fibers that are seen in cell division; the fibers radiate from two poles and meet at the equator in the middle
- any of various rotating shafts that serve as axes for larger rotating parts
- a stick or pin used to twist the yarn in spinning
Word Origin
- spindle
- spindle: see spin
- spindle (n.)
- early 13c., with intrusive -d-, from Old English spinel "small wooden bar used in hand-spinning," properly "an instrument for spinning," from stem of spinnan (see spin (v.)) + instrumental suffix -el (1). Compare handle, thimble, etc. Related to Old Saxon spinnila, Old Frisian spindel, Old High German spinnila, German Spindel. As a type of something slender, it is attested from 1570s. As with distaff, sometimes formerly used as a metonym for "the female sex," as in Old English spinelhealf "female line of descent," distinguished from sperehealf "male line of descent."
Example
- 1. In her works the spiralling spindle represented the beginning of chaos .
- 2. Here 's the story : about 13 miles from this spindle of rock , there 's a bigger island , called lord howe island .
- 3. There are many different types of neuron , only one of which is unique to humans and the other great apes , the so called spindle cells .
- 4. One pertinent observation is that dolphins , whales and their kind have brains as anatomically complex as those of humans , and that these brains contain a particular type of nerve cell , known as a spindle cell , that in humans is associated with higher cognitive functions such as abstract reasoning .
- 5. A woman used to tie a piece of wool to it and pulled a suture very carefully , whirling it on spindle .