spool

noun

/spuːl/

(especially North American English)

(also reel especially in British English)

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a round object around which you wind such things as thread, wire or film; a reel together with the film, wire, thread, etc. that is wound around it
- a spool of thread
Word OriginMiddle English (denoting a spool for thread): shortening of Old French espole or from Middle Low German spōle, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch spoel and German Spule. The verb dates from the early 17th cent.

spool

verb

/spuːl/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they spool	/spuːl/ /spuːl/
he / she / it spools	/spuːlz/ /spuːlz/
past simple spooled	/spuːld/ /spuːld/
past participle spooled	/spuːld/ /spuːld/
-ing form spooling	/ˈspuːlɪŋ/ /ˈspuːlɪŋ/

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[transitive] spool something + adv./prep. to wind something onto or off a spool
[transitive, intransitive] spool (something) (computing) to move data and store it for a short time, for example on a disk, especially before it is printed

Word OriginMiddle English (denoting a spool for thread): shortening of Old French espole or from Middle Low German spōle, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch spoel and German Spule. The verb dates from the early 17th cent.