I. ˈrēl, esp before pause or consonant ˈrēəl noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hrēol; akin to Old Norse hræll weaver's sley, Latvian krekls shirt, Greek krekein to weave
1.
a. : a revolving device used in winding yarn or thread into hanks or skeins and in winding raw silk from cocoons and consisting usually of a light frame with radial arms on a central axle
b. : any of various revolving devices (as a flanged cylinder) for winding up or paying out something flexible (as rope, wire, strip metal or plastic, hose)
lamps that pull down from overhead tension reels
a surveyor's reel containing a tape measure
a garden hose reel on wheels
an industrial reel for feeding coiled steel stock to a punch press
c.
(1) : a flanged metal cylinder and crank attached to the butt of a fishing rod for winding up or letting out line
(2) chiefly Britain : a spool or bobbin of wood to hold sewing thread
a cotton reel
(3) : a shaft or drum on which the full-width sheet coming from a papermaking machine is wound
(4) : a flanged spool on which image-bearing motion-picture film or signal-bearing tape or wire is wound
a standard reel of 35 mm. film containing 1000 or 2000 feet
d. : a reel with its contents : the amount on a reel
steel rope in reels of 1800 feet
as
(1) : web ; specifically : the part of a web in process of manufacture that has passed the driers of a paper machine
(2) : a strip of image-bearing motion picture film
(3) : a roll of postage stamps for use in a dispenser
2.
a. : a rotating conveyer used in dyeing
b. : a frame carrying the bolting cloth or mesh wire screen used to sift ground grain (as wheat, corn) or to grade and size hulled rice
c. : the upright revolving wheel in a reel oven consisting of connected pairs of radial arms from which the trays holding the baking pans are suspended
d. : a revolving set of bars that feed grain stalks through a harvester
e. : the spiral blading of a lawn mower
f. : a clothes dryer consisting of lines on a frame of usually radial arms revolving on a vertical pole
3. : a humming noise like that made by a moving reel
a kingfisher … with his loud clicking reel — John Burroughs
•
- off the reel
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English reelen, relen, from reel (I)
transitive verb
1.
a. : to wind (as yarn, thread, fishline) upon a reel
b. : to unwind (silk) from a cocoon onto a reel
c. : to roll up (as postage stamps) into a pack
2. : to draw by reeling a line
reel a fish in
3. : to straighten (as pipe, rail, rod) by passing above two rolls and under a third
intransitive verb
: to wind on a reel
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English relen, probably from reel (I)
intransitive verb
1. : to turn or move round and round : whirl:
a. of the eyes : to roll with dizziness or excitement
b. : to be giddy : be in a whirl
her head reeled under the blow — Kathleen Freeman
feats of heroism … so stupendous and so numerous that the mind reels absorbing them — Douglas Stewart
2. : to behave in a violent disorderly manner : run riot
the reeling days of faction fights — Sean O'Faolain
3. : to waver or fall back from a blow
reels under the impact
a fierce attack that sent the enemy reeling
: recoil
reeled back in horror
4.
a. : to sway unsteadily on one's feet (as from dizziness or intoxication)
reel down the street
having no strap to hold to, she reeled and staggered and pitched with every sudden start or jerking stop of the car — Clara Morris
b. : to move with great irregularity and unsteadiness (as of a ship in a storm, a building in an earthquake)
5. dialect : to twist one's foot in walking
transitive verb
1. : to cause to reel
reel his partner in a dance
2. obsolete : to cause (as a stone) to roll
3. obsolete : to stagger through (a street)
IV. noun
( -s )
1. : a reeling motion
2. : tumult
3. reels plural , obsolete : revels
V. noun
( -s )
1.
a. : a lively dance of the Scottish Highlanders marked by circular figures and performed with gliding movements
b. : music for or having the rhythm of this dance in moderately quick duple time
2. : virginia reel
3. dialect : a dance song
VI. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to dance a reel
VII. noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably from reel (III)
: a paver's hammer of from 5 to 7 pounds in weight having rectangular ends and used for finishing small paving blocks