spool
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
spool/spuːl/
▶noun a cylindrical device on which thread, film, magnetic tape, fishing line, etc. can be wound. ▶verb
- 1 wind or be wound on to a spool.
- 2 Computing send (data for printing or peripheral processing) to an intermediate store.
- 3 (spool up) increase the speed of rotation of a device to the working speed.
– origin ME: shortening of OFr. espole or from Mid. Low Ger. spōle, of W. Gmc origin; sense 2 of the verb is an acronym from simultaneous peripheral operation online.
'spool' also found in these Oxford entries:
