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spinning mule

American  

noun

  1. mule.


spinning mule British  

noun

  1. textiles See mule 1

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of spinning mule

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The water frame, the spinning mule, and the power loom were bulky and expensive machines.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

In 1779, Samuel Crompton combined features of the spinning jenny and the water frame to produce the spinning mule.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

The spinning mule made thread that was stronger, finer, and more consistent than earlier spinning machines.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

He created the “automatic” spinning mule: an exacting, high-speed, reliable rethinking of Crompton’s original creation.

From Forbes • Nov. 13, 2011

Crompton put the twisting spindles into the travelling carriage and the roving bobbins he transferred to a fixed creel, and these conditions are invariably to be found in the self-actor spinning mule of to-day.

From The Story of the Cotton Plant by Wilkinson, Frederick