spool

Plural: spools

Noun

• a winder around which thread or tape or film or other flexible materials can be wound
• A reel; a device around which thread, wire or cable is wound, especially a cylinder or spindle.
• One of the rotating assemblies of a gas turbine engine, composed of one or more turbine stages, a shaft, and one or more compressor or fan stages.
• A temporary storage area for electronic mail, etc.
• A splinter caught in the skin.
• A small swimming pool that can be used also as a spa.

Verb

Verb Forms: spooled, spooling, spools

• To wind thread, wire, or data onto a cylinder.
• transfer data intended for a peripheral device (usually a printer) into temporary storage
• wind onto a spool or a reel
• To wind on a spool or spools.
• To send files to a device or a program (a spooler or a daemon that puts them in a queue for processing at a later time).

Examples

• He had to spool his thoughts carefully to find a valid word with his remaining letters.
• The high-pressure spool rotates faster than the intermediate- and low-pressure spools, as the high-pressure turbine is driven by superheated combustion gases straight out of the burners, while the high-pressure compressor has to spin very fast to compress air that has already been compressed and heated by the low- and intermediate-pressure compressors.

Synonyms

bobbin, reel

Anagrams of spool