Spindle

How to spell spindle

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce spindle

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does spindle mean?

1. nounA slender rod or pin on which thread is wound, or any thin rotating shaft or upright spike.

Spindle in a sentence

• The old spinning wheel still had its wooden spindle intact.

• The mechanic replaced the bent spindle that held the wheel in place.

Where does spindle come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Spindle comes straight from the native English word spinel in Old English, which named the slender rod used to twist and wind wool or flax into thread. That word was built on the verb spinnan, meaning 'to spin', the same root that still gives us the modern verb 'spin'. The intrusive 'd' crept into the spelling during the medieval period, a common English habit that also produced 'thunder' from older 'thunor' and 'kindred' from 'kinred'; the tongue naturally inserts a 'd' sound between 'n' and 'l'. From the textile tool, the meaning broadened to cover any thin turning rod or pin, such as the axle a wheel rotates on or the upright spike that paper is pushed onto. Because the word is Germanic and the silent-looking 'd' is now firmly fixed, modern spellers rarely stumble over it.

How the word is built

• spin (to twist fibre into thread)
• -dle (instrumental suffix forming a tool name)