I. coil 1 /kɔɪl/ BrE AmE ( also coil up ) verb [intransitive and transitive]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: coillir , %cuillir% 'to gather' ]
to wind or twist into a series of rings, or to make something do this:
The snake coiled around the branches of the tree.
Her long hair was coiled up in a plait at the top of her head.
He coiled the rope.
—coiled adjective [only before noun]
II. coil 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . a continuous series of circular rings into which something such as wire or rope has been wound or twisted
coil of
a coil of rope
2 . one ring of wire, rope etc in a continuous series
3 . a wire or a metal tube in a continuous circular shape that produces light or heat when electricity is passed through it:
the coil in a light bulb
4 . the part of a car engine that sends electricity to the ↑ spark plug s
5 . a ↑ contraceptive that is a flat curved piece of metal or plastic that is fitted inside a woman’s ↑ uterus SYN IUD