SPINDLE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does spindle mean? 

• SPINDLE (noun)
  The noun SPINDLE has 5 senses:

1. (biology) tiny fibers that are seen in cell division; the fibers radiate from two poles and meet at the equator in the middle

2. a piece of wood that has been turned on a lathe; used as a baluster, chair leg, etc.

3. any of various rotating shafts that serve as axes for larger rotating parts

4. a stick or pin used to twist the yarn in spinning

5. any holding device consisting of a rigid, sharp-pointed object

  Familiarity information: SPINDLE used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPINDLE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(biology) tiny fibers that are seen in cell division; the fibers radiate from two poles and meet at the equator in the middle

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Context example:

chromosomes are distributed by spindles in mitosis and meiosis

Hypernyms ("spindle" is a kind of...):

fiber; fibre (a slender and greatly elongated substance capable of being spun into yarn)

Domain category:

biological science; biology (the science that studies living organisms)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A piece of wood that has been turned on a lathe; used as a baluster, chair leg, etc.

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("spindle" is a kind of...):

piece (a separate part of a whole)

Meronyms (substance of "spindle"):

wood (the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Any of various rotating shafts that serve as axes for larger rotating parts

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

arbor; mandrel; mandril; spindle

Hypernyms ("spindle" is a kind of...):

rotating shaft; shaft (a revolving rod that transmits power or motion)

Holonyms ("spindle" is a part of...):

drive ((computer science) a device that writes data onto or reads data from a storage medium)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A stick or pin used to twist the yarn in spinning

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("spindle" is a kind of...):

stick (an implement consisting of a length of wood)

Holonyms ("spindle" is a part of...):

spinning frame (spinning machine that draws, twists, and winds yarn)

spinning wheel (a small domestic spinning machine with a single spindle that is driven by hand or foot)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Any holding device consisting of a rigid, sharp-pointed object

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

spike; spindle

Context example:

the spike pierced the receipts and held them in order

Hypernyms ("spindle" is a kind of...):

holding device (a device for holding something)

 Context examples 

A benign soft tissue neoplasm usually arising in the pelviperineal region, characterized by the presence of neoplastic spindle to round cells, dilated thin walled vessels, and stromal edema.

(Angiomyofibroblastoma, NCI Thesaurus)

It is characterized by the presence of a mixture of spindle A melanoma cells, spindle B melanoma cells, and epithelioid melanoma cells.

(Mixed Cell Uveal Melanoma, NCI Thesaurus)

A malignant smooth muscle neoplasm characterized by the presence of atypical spindle cells and formation of vascular channels.

(Angiomyosarcoma, NCI Thesaurus)

A benign soft tissue neoplasm characterized by the presence of neoplastic spindle and stellate cells in a myxoid stroma.

(Angiomyxoma, NCI Thesaurus)

Mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint protein MAD2A (205 aa, ~24 kDa) is encoded by the human MAD2L1 gene.

(Mitotic Spindle Assembly Checkpoint Protein MAD2A, NCI Thesaurus)

The girl went back to the well not knowing what to do, and at last in her distress she jumped into the water after the spindle.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

The cystic spaces are surrounded by a spindle cell stroma which may show myxoid changes.

(Alveolar Adenoma, NCI Thesaurus)

A malignant neoplasm that is composed of spindle cells that contain one or more keratins.

(Monomorphic Myoepithelial Spindle Cell Carcinoma of the Mouse Mammary Gland, NCI Thesaurus/MMHCC)

An intermediate cutaneous fibrohistiocytic neoplasm, characterized by pleomorphic spindle cells, usually affecting the actinic-damaged skin of the elderly.

(Atypical Fibroxanthoma, NCI Thesaurus)

Aster promoting activities stabilize microtubules during spindle formation, but binding of importins to APA neutralizes their activity in forming microtubules.

(Mitotic Spindle Regulation Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)