to make (yarn) by drawing out, twisting, and winding fibers: Pioneer women spun yarn on spinning wheels.
2.
to form (the fibers of any material) into thread or yarn: The machine spins nylon thread.
3.
(of spiders, silkworms, etc.) to produce (a thread, cobweb, gossamer, silk, etc.) by extruding from the body a long, slender filament of a natural viscous matter that hardens in the air.
4.
to cause to turn around rapidly, as on an axis; twirl; whirl: to spin a coin on a table.
5.
Informal. to play (phonograph records): a job spinning records on a radio show.
6.
Metalworking. to shape (sheet metal) into a hollow, rounded form by pressure from a tool while rotating the metal on a lathe or wheel.
7.
to produce, fabricate, or evolve in a manner suggestive of spinning thread: to spin a tale of sailing ships and bygone days.
8.
Rocketry. to cause intentionally (a rocket or guided missile) to undergo a roll.
9.
to draw out, protract, or prolong (often fol. by out): He spun the project out for over three years.
10.
British. to flunk a student in an examination or a term's work.
11.
Slang. to cause to have a particular bias; influence in a certain direction: His assignment was to spin the reporters after the president's speech.
–verb (used without object)
12.
to revolve or rotate rapidly, as the earth or a top.
13.
to produce a thread from the body, as spiders or silkworms.
14.
to produce yarn or thread by spinning.
15.
to move, go, run, ride, or travel rapidly.
16.
to have a sensation of whirling; reel: My head began to spin and I fainted.
17.
to fish with a spinning or revolving bait.
–noun
18.
the act of causing a spinning or whirling motion.
19.
a spinning motion given to a ball, wheel, axle, or other object.
20.
a downward movement or trend, esp. one that is sudden, alarming, etc.: Steel prices went into a spin.
21.
a rapid run, ride, drive, or the like, as for exercise or enjoyment: They went for a spin in the car.
22.
Slang. a particular viewpoint or bias, esp. in the media; slant: They tried to put a favorable spin on the news coverage of the controversial speech.
23.
Also called tailspin, tail spin.Aeronautics. a maneuver in which an airplane descends in a vertical direction along a helical path of large pitch and small radius at an angle of attack greater than the critical angle, dangerous when not done intentionally or under control.
24.
Rocketry.
a.
the act of intentionally causing a rocket or guided missile to undergo a roll.
b.
a roll so caused.
25.
Also called spin angular momentum.Physics. the intrinsic angular momentum characterizing each kind of elementary particle, having one of the values 0, 1/2, 1, 3/2, … when measured in units of Planck's constant divided by 2π.
26.
Australian. a run of luck; fate.
—Verb phrase
27.
spin off,
a.
to create something new, as a company or assets, without detracting from or affecting the relative size or stability of the original: After the acquisition, the company was required to spin off about a third of its assets.
b.
to derive from or base on something done previously: They took the character of the maid and spun off another TV series.
To prolong or extend: spin out a visit with an old friend.
To form (a web or cocoon, for example) by extruding viscous filaments.
To make or produce by or as if by drawing out and twisting.
To relate or create: spun tales for the children.
To prolong or extend: spin out a visit with an old friend.
To cause to rotate swiftly; twirl.
To shape or manufacture by a twirling or rotating process.
To provide an interpretation of (a statement or event, for example), especially in a way meant to sway public opinion: "a messenger who spins bogus research into a vile theology of hatred"(William A. Henry III).
Slang To play (a phonograph record or records), especially as a disc jockey.
v.
intr.
To make thread or yarn by drawing out and twisting fibers.
To extrude viscous filaments, forming a web or cocoon.
To seem to be whirling, as from dizziness; reel: My head spun after doing a cartwheel.
To ride or drive rapidly.
To fish with a light rod, lure, and line and a reel with a stationary spool.
n.
The act of spinning.
A swift whirling motion.
A state of mental confusion.
Informal A short drive in a vehicle: took a spin in the new car.
The flight condition of an aircraft in a nose-down, spiraling, stalled descent.
A distinctive point of view, emphasis, or interpretation: "Dryden . . . was adept at putting spin on an apparently neutral recital of facts"(Robert M. Adams).
A distinctive character or style: an innovative chef who puts a new spin on traditional fare.
The intrinsic angular momentum of a subatomic particle. Also called spin angular momentum.
The total angular momentum of an atomic nucleus.
A quantum number expressing spin angular momentum.
Physics
The intrinsic angular momentum of a subatomic particle. Also called spin angular momentum.
The total angular momentum of an atomic nucleus.
A quantum number expressing spin angular momentum.
Phrasal Verb(s): spin off
To derive (a company or product, for example) from something larger.
spin out
To rotate out of control, as a skidding car leaving a roadway.
Idiom(s):
spin (one's) wheels Informal
To expend effort with no result.
[Middle English spinnen, from Old English spinnan; see (s)pen- in Indo-European roots.]
O.E. spinnan "draw out and twist fibers into thread," from P.Gmc. *spenwanan (cf. O.N., O.Fris. spinna, Dan. spinde, Du. spinnen, O.H.G. spinnan, Ger. spinnen, Goth. spinnan), from PIE *(s)pen- "stretch" (cf. Armenian henum "I weave," Gk. patos "garment, lit. "that which is spun," Lith. pinu "I plait, braid," spandau "I spin," M.Welsh cy-ffiniden "spider;" see span (v.)). Sense of "to cause to turn rapidly" is from 1612; meaning "revolve, turn around rapidly" first recorded 1667. The noun meaning "fairly rapid ride" is from 1856. Meaning "attempt to influence reporters' minds after an event has taken place but before they have written about it" seems to have risen to popularity in the 1984 U.S. presidential campaign; e.g. spin doctor, first attested 1984. Spinning wheel is attested from 1404; spinning-jenny is from 1783 (see jenny); invented by James Hargreaves c.1764-7, patented 1770. Slang spin off (v.) is from 1957, from the noun phrase, which is first attested 1951, in a corporate sense.
The intrinsic angular momentum of a rigid body or particle, especially a subatomic particle. Also called spin angular momentum.
The total angular momentum of a physical system, such as an electron orbital or an atomic nucleus.
A quantum number expressing spin angular momentum; the actual angular momentum is a quantum number multiplied by Dirac's constant. Fermions have spin values that are integer multiples of 1/2 , while bosons have spin values that are integer multiples of 1.
Main Entry: spin Pronunciation: 'spin Function: noun 1: a quantum characteristic of an elementary particle that is visualized as the rotation of the
particle on its axis and that is responsible for measurable angular momentum and magnetic moment 2: the angular momentum which is associated with spin, whose magnitude is
quantized, and which may assume either of two possible directions; also: the angular momentum of a system of elementary particles derived from their spins and orbital motions
—see SPIN ECHO, SPIN LABEL
Span\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spanned; p. pr. & vb. n. Spanning.] [AS. pannan; akin to D. & G. spannen, OHG. spannan, Sw. sp["a]nna, Dan. sp[ae]nde, Icel. spenna, and perh. to Gr. ? to draw, to drag, L. spatium space. [root]170. Cf. Spin, v. t., Space, Spasm.]1. To measure by the span of the hand with the fingers extended, or with the fingers encompassing the object; as, to span a space or distance; to span a cylinder. My right hand hath spanned the heavens. --Isa. xiviii. 13. 2. To reach from one side of to the order; to stretch over as an arch. The rivers were spanned by arches of solid masonry. --prescott. 3. To fetter, as a horse; to hobble.
Spi"der\, n.[OE. spi[thorn]re, fr. AS. spinnan to spin; -- so named from spinning its web; cf. D. spin a spider, G. spinne, Sw. spindel. Seee Spin.]1. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of arachnids comprising the order Araneina. Spiders have the mandibles converted into poison fangs, or falcers. The abdomen is large and not segmented, with two or three pairs of spinnerets near the end, by means of which they spin threads of silk to form cocoons, or nests, to protect their eggs and young. Many species spin also complex webs to entrap the insects upon which they prey. The eyes are usually eight in number (rarely six), and are situated on the back of the cephalothorax. See Illust. under Araneina. Note: Spiders are divided into two principal groups: the Dipneumona, having two lungs: and the Tetrapneumona, having four lungs. See Mygale. The former group includes several tribes; as, the jumping spiders (see Saltigrad[ae]), the wolf spiders, or Citigrad[ae] (see under Wolf), the crab spiders, or Laterigrad[ae] (see under Crab), the garden, or geometric, spiders, or Orbitell[ae] (see under Geometrical, and Garden), and others. See Bird spider, under Bird, Grass spider, under Grass, House spider, under House, Silk spider, under Silk. 2. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of various other arachnids resembling the true spiders, especially certain mites, as the red spider (see under Red). 3. An iron pan with a long handle, used as a kitchen utensil in frying food. Originally, it had long legs, and was used over coals on the hearth. 4. A trevet to support pans or pots over a fire. 5. (Mach.) A skeleton, or frame, having radiating arms or members, often connected by crosspieces; as, a casting forming the hub and spokes to which the rim of a fly wheel or large gear is bolted; the body of a piston head; a frame for strengthening a core or mold for a casting, etc. Spider ant. (Zo["o]l.) Same as Solitary ant, under Solitary. Spider crab (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of maioid crabs having a more or less triangular body and ten long legs. Some of the species grow to great size, as the great Japanese spider crab (Macrocheira Kempferi), measuring sometimes more than fifteen feet across the legs when they are extended. Spider fly (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of parasitic dipterous insects of the family Hippoboscid[ae]. They are mostly destitute of wings, and live among the feathers of birds and the hair of bats. Called also bird tick, and bat tick. Spider hunter (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of East Indian sunbirds of the genus Arachnothera. Spider lines, filaments of a spider's web crossing the field of vision in optical instruments; -- used for determining the exact position of objects and making delicate measurements. Fine wires, silk fibers, or lines on glass similarly placed, are called spider lines. Spider mite. (Zo["o]l.) (a) Any one of several species of parasitic mites of the genus Argas and allied genera. See Argas. (b) Any one of numerous small mites injurious to plants. Spider monkey (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of South American monkeys of the genus Ateles, having very long legs and a long prehensile tail. Spider orchis (Bot.), a European orchidaceous plant (Ophrys aranifera), having flowers which resemble spiders. Spider shell (Zo["o]l.), any shell of the genus Pteroceras. See Pteroceras.
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Audio Help [spin] Pronunciation Key verb, spun or (Archaic
