spool

C1 Topic:Tools, Machines & Construction

US /spuːl/ UK /spuːl/ See IPA manual

Freq #38225

Meanings

1

noun
a cylinder or spindle around which thread, wire, film, or another flexible material is wound

Jim found a wooden spool inside the large ball of hair and wax.
2

verb
to wind material onto or off a spool

The technician spooled the cable carefully onto its reel.
3

verb
computing: to place data or a job in temporary storage until a device is ready to process it

The system spooled the report while the printer was offline.
4

noun
engineering: one of the rotating shaft assemblies in a gas-turbine engine

The engine's high-pressure spool accelerated rapidly after ignition.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a cylinder or spindle... reelbobbin

2 verb · to wind material onto or... wind reel

3 verb · computing: to place data or... queue buffer

4 noun · engineering: one of the... rotor assembly

Opposites

unwind

Word family

Derived forms spoolerspoolfulrespool

Related forms reelbobbin

Etymology

From Middle English spole, through northern French or Middle Dutch forms, ultimately from a Germanic word for a reel or spindle. Computing adopted the term for queued data imagined as being wound up for later processing; turbine engineering uses it for a similarly shaped rotating assembly.

Topics

Tools, Machines & Construction

External links

# spool

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /spuːl/
**IPA (UK):** /spuːl/
**Frequency rank:** 38225

## Meanings
1. a cylinder or spindle around which thread, wire, film, or another flexible material is wound
2. to wind material onto or off a spool
3. computing: to place data or a job in temporary storage until a device is ready to process it
4. engineering: one of the rotating shaft assemblies in a gas-turbine engine

## Examples
- Jim found a wooden spool inside the large ball of hair and wax.
- The technician spooled the cable carefully onto its reel.
- The system spooled the report while the printer was offline.
- The engine's high-pressure spool accelerated rapidly after ignition.

## Synonyms
- reel
- bobbin
- wind
- queue

## Antonyms
- unwind

## Derived Forms
- spooler
- spoolful
- respool

## Related Forms
- reel
- bobbin

## Etymology
From Middle English spole, through northern French or Middle Dutch forms, ultimately from a Germanic word for a reel or spindle. Computing adopted the term for queued data imagined as being wound up for later processing; turbine engineering uses it for a similarly shaped rotating assembly.

## Topics
- Tools, Machines & Construction

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