bobbin

American  

[bob-in] / ˈbɒb ɪn /

noun

1. a reel, cylinder, or spool upon which yarn or thread is wound, as used in spinning, machine sewing, lacemaking, etc.

2. Electricity.

   1. a spoollike form around which a coil of insulated wire is wound to provide an inductance.

   2. the coil itself.

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bobbin British  

/ ˈbɒbɪn /

noun

1. a spool or reel on which thread or yarn is wound, being unwound as required; spool; reel

2. narrow braid or cord used as binding or for trimming

3. a device consisting of a short bar and a length of string, used to control a wooden door latch

4. 1. a spool on which insulated wire is wound to form the coil of a small electromagnetic device, such as a bell or buzzer

   2. the coil of such a spool

5. slang  (plural) matter that is worthless or of inferior quality; rubbish

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Etymology

Origin of bobbin

1520–30; < Middle French bobine hank of thread, perhaps bob- an expressive base akin to bob ² + -ine -ine ²

Example Sentences

The southeast space had lots of cloth fragments, along with bobbins and loom weights.

From Science Daily

Threads and wool of all colors, bobbins, tools and spinning wheels are everywhere.

From Seattle Times

At 13, he worked in an Allegheny cotton mill, changing bobbins 6 days a week, 12 hours a day.

From Seattle Times

A few days later, antislavery members lined up behind the American Party’s “Bobbin Boy” Banks, who as a boy worked in a textile factory carrying bobbins of thread to the women who operated the looms.

From Washington Post

You get to peek over the lacemaker’s shoulder: She is making bobbin lace, one of the most expensive commodities of early modern Europe.

From New York Times