n. [ AS. spinal, fr. spinnan to spin; akin to D. spil, G. spille, spindel, OHG. spinnala. √170. See Spin. ] 1. The long, round, slender rod or pin in spinning wheels by which the thread is twisted, and on which, when twisted, it is wound; also, the pin on which the bobbin is held in a spinning machine, or in the shuttle of a loom. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. A slender rod or pin on which anything turns; an axis; as, the spindle of a vane. Specifically: -- [ 1913 Webster ] (a) (Mach.) The shaft, mandrel, or arbor, in a machine tool, as a lathe or drilling machine, etc., which causes the work to revolve, or carries a tool or center, etc. [ 1913 Webster ] (b) (Mach.) The vertical rod on which the runner of a grinding mill turns. [ 1913 Webster ] (c) (Founding) A shaft or pipe on which a core of sand is formed. [ 1913 Webster ] 3. The fusee of a watch. [ 1913 Webster ] 4. A long and slender stalk resembling a spindle. [ 1913 Webster ] 5. A yarn measure containing, in cotton yarn, 15, 120 yards; in linen yarn, 14, 400 yards. [ 1913 Webster ] 6. (Geom.) A solid generated by the revolution of a curved line about its base or double ordinate or chord. [ 1913 Webster ] 7. (Zool.) (a) Any marine univalve shell of the genus Rostellaria; -- called also spindle stromb. (b) Any marine gastropod of the genus Fusus. [ 1913 Webster ]
Dead spindle (Mach.), a spindle in a machine tool that does not revolve; the spindle of the tailstock of a lathe. --
Live spindle (Mach.), the revolving spindle of a machine tool; the spindle of the headstock of a turning lathe. --
Spindle shell. (Zool.) See Spindle, 7. above. --
Spindle side, the female side in descent; in the female line; opposed to spear side. Ld. Lytton. [ R. ] “King Lycaon, grandson, by the spindle side, of Oceanus.” Lowell. --
Spindle tree (Bot.), any shrub or tree of the genus Eunymus. The wood of Eunymus Europaeus was used for spindles and skewers. See Prickwood. [ 1913 Webster ]
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