A spindle is a rod in a machine, around which another part of the machine turns.
2. countable noun
A spindle is a pointed rod which you use when you are spinning wool by hand. You twist the wool with the spindle to make it into a thread.
More Synonyms of spindle
spindle in British English
(ˈspɪndəl)
noun
1.
a rod or stick that has a notch in the top, used to draw out natural fibres for spinning into thread, and a long narrow body around which the thread is wound when spun
2.
one of the thin rods or pins bearing bobbins upon which spun thread is wound in a spinning wheel or machine
3.
any of various parts in the form of a rod, esp a rotating rod that acts as an axle, mandrel, or arbor
4.
a piece of wood that has been turned, such as a baluster or table leg
5.
a small square metal shaft that passes through the lock of a door and to which the door knobs or handles are fixed
6.
a measure of length of yarn equal to 18 hanks (15 120 yards) for cotton or 14 400 yards for linen
7. biology
a spindle-shaped structure formed by microtubules during mitosis or meiosis which draws the duplicated chromosomes apart as the cell divides
8. a less common name for a hydrometer
9.
a tall pole with a marker at the top, fixed to an underwater obstruction as an aid to navigation
10.
a device consisting of a sharp upright spike on a pedestal on which bills, order forms, etc, are impaled
11. short for spindle tree
verb
12. (transitive)
to form into a spindle or equip with spindles
13. (intransitive) rare
(of a plant, stem, shoot, etc) to grow rapidly and become elongated and thin
Word origin
Old English spinel; related to spinnan to spin, Old Saxon spinnila spindle, Old High German spinnala
spindle in American English
(ˈspɪndəl)
noun
1.
a slender rod or pin used in spinning
; specif.,
a.
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
b.
on a spinning wheel, the rod by which the thread is twisted and on which it is thenwound
c.
in a spinning machine, any of the rods holding the bobbins on which the spun thread is wound
2.
a measure for yarn, equal to 14,400 yards in linen or 15,120 yards in cotton
3.
the spindle-shaped bundle of nuclear fibers formed during one stage of mitosis
4.
a short turned piece or decorative rod, as in a baluster, the back of some chairs, etc.
5.
any rod, pin, or shaft that revolves or serves as an axis for a revolving part, as an axle, arbor, or mandrel
6.
in a lathe, a shaftlike part (live spindle) that rotates while holding the thing to be turned, or a similar part (dead spindle) that does not rotate
7.
the small, square shaft passing through a door lock, to which the doorknobs are attached
8. US
a metal spike on a base, on which papers are impaled for temporary filing
: also spindle file
9.
hydrometer
10. Nautical
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
adjective
11.
of or like a spindle or spindles
verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈspindled or ˈspindling
12.
to grow in a long, slender shape
13.
to grow into a long, slender stalk or stem
verb transitive
14.
to form into a spindle
15.
to fit or equip with a spindle
16. US
to impale (papers, etc.) on a spindle (sense 8)
Word origin
ME (with intrusive -d-) < OE spinel < spinnan, to spin
spindle in Mechanical Engineering
(spɪndəl)
Word forms: (regular plural) spindles
noun
(Mechanical engineering: General)
A spindle is a rod, especially one that rotates and acts as an axle, mandrel, or arbor.
The workpiece rotates on a spindle called an arbor.
The cutting tool can be mounted on or in the spindle of a machine tool.
A spindle is a rod, especially one that rotates and acts as an axle, mandrel, or arbor.
Examples of 'spindle' in a sentence
spindle
He became aware of spindle limbs clinging to the tree-trunk, leafy rags of clothing.
Amanda Hemingway THE GREENSTONE GRAIL: THE SANGREAL TRILOGY ONE (2004)
The pistons inclined towards each other in pairs, like mechanical suitors, each pair supporting a huge, T-sectioned metal spindle.
Baxter, Stephen ANTI-ICE (2004)
She fitted it on a spindle attached to a gray metal scanner and turned the dial.
Phillip Margolin TIES THAT BIND (2004)
In other languages
spindle
British English: spindle NOUN
A spindle is a rod in a machine, around which another part of the machine turns.
American English: spindle
Brazilian Portuguese: eixo
Chinese: 轴
European Spanish: eje
French: axe
German: Spindel
Italian: perno
Japanese: 軸
Korean: 출
European Portuguese: eixo
Latin American Spanish: eje
(noun)
Definition
a rotating rod that acts as an axle
Magnetic fields pull and push the spindle of the motor.
Synonyms
pivot
The pedal had sheared off at the pivot.
pin
the steel pin holding his left leg together
rod
axle
The engine, gearbox and black axle needed to be replaced.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of axle
Definition
a shaft on which a wheel or pair of wheels revolves
The engine, gearbox and black axle needed to be replaced.