spool

[ spool ]

noun

1. any cylindrical piece or device on which something is wound.
2. a small cylindrical piece of wood or other material on which yarn is wound in spinning, for use in weaving; a bobbin.
3. a small cylinder of wood or other material on which thread, wire, or tape is wound, typically expanded or with a rim at each end and having a hole lengthwise through the center.
4. the material or quantity of material wound on such a device.
5. Angling. the cylindrical drum in a reel that bears the line.

verb (used with object)

1. to wind on a spool.
2. to unwind from a spool (usually followed by off or out ).
3. Computers. to operate (an input/output device) by using buffers in main and secondary storage.

verb (used without object)

1. to wind.
2. to unwind.

spool

/ spuːl /

noun

1. a device around which magnetic tape, film, cotton, etc, can be automatically wound, with plates at top and bottom to prevent it from slipping off
2. anything round which other materials, esp thread, are wound

verb

1. sometimes foll by up to wind or be wound onto a spool or reel

spool

/ spo̅o̅l /

1. To store data that is sent to a device, such as a printer, in a buffer that the device reads. This procedure allows the program that sent the data to the device to resume its normal operation without waiting for the device to process the data.

Other Words From

• spooler noun
• spoollike adjective
• un·spool verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of spool¹

1275–1325; Middle English spole < Middle Dutch spoele or Middle Low German spōle; cognate with German Spule

Word History and Origins

Origin of spool¹

C14: of Germanic origin; compare Old High German spuolo, Middle Dutch spoele

Example Sentences

The fiber cable formed a loop where the input and output are connected, creating a continuous light path with no breaks, and was precisely wound around an aluminum spool with a diameter of 25 cm to form a coil.

From Science Daily

And any spool of thread, rolled under their worktables.

From Literature

I had seen him earlier walking around the backyard wielding a weed wacker, which turned out to need a new spool of trimmer string.

From Los Angeles Times

Regardless, this song is a quiet doozy that watches a long-term love unravel in slow motion like a spool of ribbon underwater.

From New York Times

C-141 transport aircraft at bases all around the United States are being fueled, and as soldiers arrive by trucks and buses – even Greyhound buses have been commandeered for military use – the jet engines have begun to spool up.

From Salon

Related Words

• cylinder