— spinnability , n. — spinnable , adj.
/spin/ , v. , spun or ( Archaic ) span, spun, spinning , n.
v.t.
1. 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. Brit. 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.
v.i.
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.
18. 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.
19. spin one's wheels . See wheel (def. 17).
20. spin out , (of an automobile) to undergo a spinout.
n.
21. the act of causing a spinning or whirling motion.
22. a spinning motion given to a ball, wheel, axle, or other object.
23. a downward movement or trend, esp. one that is sudden, alarming, etc.: Steel prices went into a spin.
24. a rapid run, ride, drive, or the like, as for exercise or enjoyment: They went for a spin in the car.
25. 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.
26. Also called tailspin, tail spin . Aeron. 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.
27. Rocketry.
a. the act of intentionally causing a rocket or guided missile to undergo a roll.
b. a roll so caused.
28. Physics. the intrinsic angular momentum characterizing each kind of elementary particle, having one of the values 0, ½, 1, 3/2, ... when measured in units of Planck's constant divided by 2 pi.
29. Australian. a run of luck; fate.
[ bef. 900; ME spinnen to spin yarn, OE spinnan; c. D, G spinnen, ON spinna, Goth spinnan ]
Syn. 7. develop, narrate, relate. 9. extend, lengthen. 11. gyrate. See turn .