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spin |
7 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Spin \Spin\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spun}(Archaic imp. {Span}); p. pr & vb n. {Spinning}.] [AS. spinnan akin to D. & G. spinnen, Icel. & Sw spinna, Dan. spinde, Goth. spinnan and probably to E. span. [root]170. Cf {Span}, v. t., {Spider}.] 1. To draw out and twist into threads, either by the hand or machinery; as to spin wool, cotton, or flax; to spin goat's hair; to produce by drawing out and twisting a fibrous material. All the yarn she [Penelope] spun in Ulysses' absence did but fill Ithaca full of moths. --Shak. 2. To draw out tediously; to form by a slow process, or by degrees; to extend to a great length; -- with out as to spin out large volumes on a subject. Do you mean that story is tediously spun out? --Sheridan. 3. To protract; to spend by delays; as to spin out the day in idleness. By one delay after another they spin out their whole lives. --L'Estrange. 4. To cause to turn round rapidly; to whirl; to twirl; as to spin a top 5. To form (a web, a cocoon, silk, or the like) from threads produced by the extrusion of a viscid, transparent liquid, which hardens on coming into contact with the air; -- said of the spider, the silkworm, etc 6. (Mech.) To shape, as malleable sheet metal, into a hollow form by bending or buckling it by pressing against it with a smooth hand tool or roller while the metal revolves, as in a lathe. {To spin a yarn} (Naut.), to tell a story, esp. a long or fabulous tale. {To spin hay} (Mil.), to twist it into ropes for convenient carriage on an expedition. {To spin street yarn}, to gad about gossiping. [Collog.] From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Spin \Spin\, v. i. 1. To practice spinning; to work at drawing and twisting threads; to make yarn or thread from fiber; as the woman knows how to spin; a machine or jenny spins with great exactness. They neither know to spin, nor care to toll. --Prior. 2. To move round rapidly; to whirl; to revolve, as a top or a spindle, about its axis. Round about him spun the landscape, Sky and forest reeled together. --Longfellow. With a whirligig of jubilant mosquitoes spinning about each head. --G. W. Cable. 3. To stream or issue in a thread or a small current or jet; as blood spinsfrom a vein. --Shak. 4. To move swifty; as to spin along the road in a carriage, on a bicycle, etc [Colloq.] From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Spin \Spin\, n. 1. The act of spinning; as the spin of a top a spin a bicycle. [Colloq.] 2. (Kinematics) Velocity of rotation about some specified axis. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: spin n 1: a swift whirling motion (usually of a missile) 2: the act of rotating rapidly; "he gave the crank a spin"; "it broke off after much twisting" [syn: {twirl}, {twist}, {twisting}, {whirl}] 3: rapid descent of an aircraft in a steep spiral spin [syn: {tailspin}] v 1: revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis; "The dervishes whirl around and around without getting dizzy" [syn: {spin around}, {whirl}, {reel}, {gyrate}] 2: stream in jets, of liquids: "The creek spun its course through the woods" 3: cause to spin; "spin a coin" [syn: {whirl}, {birl}, {twirl}] 4: make up a story, as in "spin a yarn" 5: form a web by making a thread, as of spiders 6: work natural fibers into a thread; "spin silk" 7: narrate or give a detailed account of "Tell what happened"; "The father told a story to his child" [syn: {tell}, {narrate}, {recount}, {recite}] 8: prolong or extend; "spin out a visit" [syn: {spin out}] From Jargon File (4.2.3, 23 NOV 2000) [jargon]: spin vi Equivalent to {buzz}. More common among C and Unix programmers. See the discussion of `spinlock' under {busy-wait}. From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (13 Mar 01) [foldoc]: spin Equivalent to {buzz}. More common among {C} and {Unix} programmers. [{Jargon File}] From V.E.R.A. -- Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms 13 March 2001 [vera]: SPIN Sponsored Programs Information Network
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