coil

¹

[koil]

noun

1. a connected series of spirals or rings that rope, wire, or the like has been formed into.

   A coil of string was wound around the pole.

2. one of a connected series of spirals or rings that rope, wire, or the like has been formed into.

   Grab the first coil of the yarn and slip it over the other two.

3. an arrangement of pipes wound up in a spiral or series, as in a radiator.

4. a continuous pipe having inlet and outlet, or flow and return ends.

5. Medicine/Medical.,  an intrauterine device.

6. Electricity.

   1. a conductor, such as a copper wire, wound up in a spiral or similar form.

   2. a device made up of this type of conductor.

   3. ignition coil.

7. Philately.

   1. a stamp issued in a roll, usually of 500 stamps, and usually perforated vertically or horizontally only.

   2. a roll of such stamps.

verb (used with object)

1. to wind into continuous, regularly spaced rings one above the other.

   The first step of this craft is to coil a wire around a pencil.

2. to wind on a flat surface into a connected series of rings, one atop the other.

   He coiled the rope on the deck.

3. to gather (rope, wire, etc.) into loops.

   She coiled the garden hose and hung it on the hook.

verb (used without object)

1. to form rings, spirals, etc.; gather or retract in a circular way.

   The snake coiled, ready to strike.

2. to move in or follow a winding course.

   The river coiled through the valley.

coil

²

[koil]

noun

Archaic.

1. a noisy disturbance; commotion; tumult.

2. trouble; bustle; ado.

coil

¹

/ kɔɪl /

verb

1. to wind or gather (ropes, hair, etc) into loops or (of rope, hair, etc) to be formed in such loops

2. (intr) to move in a winding course

noun

1. something wound in a connected series of loops

2. a single loop of such a series

3. an arrangement of pipes in a spiral or loop, as in a condenser

4. an electrical conductor wound into the form of a spiral, sometimes with a soft iron core, to provide inductance or a magnetic field See also induction coil

5. an intrauterine contraceptive device in the shape of a coil

6. the transformer in a petrol engine that supplies the high voltage to the sparking plugs

coil

²

/ kɔɪl /

noun

1. the troubles and activities of the world (in the Shakespearean phrase this mortal coil )

Other Word Forms

• coilable adjective
• coilability noun
• uncoiled adjective
• coiler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of coil¹

First recorded in 1605–15; of uncertain origin; perhaps from Middle French, Old French coillir, cuillir “to take” (modern French cueillir “to gather, pick”), from Latin colligere “to gather together”; collect, cull

Origin of coil²

First recorded in 1560–70; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of coil¹

C16: from Old French coillir to collect together; see _cull

Origin of coil²

C16: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

His approach, involving coils filled with cold water, turned out to be a great way to lower ambient air temperatures, too.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

DNA, which is coiled up in every cell in the body, was nothing special, just sugars, phosphates and bases.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

One example Lewis gives: The hot rolling mill, which squeezes red hot steel slabs into giant coils, at U.S.

Read more on Barron's

Many of the benefits of Amazon’s capital expenditures in AWS, e-commerce, advertising and its satellite initiative Project Kuiper haven’t yet been realized, Ju wrote in a Tuesday note, calling the stock “a coiled spring.”

Read more on MarketWatch

Rooms are still coated with a thick blanket of ash and littered with melted appliances and mattress coils—the shells of beds that were set on fire.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• braid 
• tendril