spindle
noun
[ ˈspɪnd(ə)l ]
• a slender rounded rod with tapered ends used in hand spinning to twist and wind thread from a mass of wool or flax held on a distaff.
• a rod or pin serving as an axis that revolves or on which something revolves.
Similar:
pivot,
pin,
rod,
axle,
axis,
gudgeon,
mandrel,
arbor,
capstan,
staff,
fusee,
• a slender mass of microtubules formed when a cell divides. At metaphase the chromosomes become attached to it by their centromeres before being pulled towards its ends.
• a Eurasian shrub or small tree with slender toothed leaves and pink capsules containing bright orange seeds. Its hard timber was formerly used for making spindles.
Origin:
Old English spinel, from the base of the verb spin.
