Coil

6 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Coil \Coil\, n. [Of Celtic origin; cf. Gael. goil fume, rage.]
     A noise, tumult, bustle, or confusion. [Obs.] --Shak.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:



  Coil \Coil\ (koil), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Coiled} (koild); p. pr.
     & vb. n. {Coiling}.] [OF. coillir, F. cueillir, to collect,
     gather together, L. coligere; col- + legere to gather. See
     {Legend}, and cf. {Cull}, v. t., {Collect}.]
     1. To wind cylindrically or spirally; as, to coil a rope when
        not in use; the snake coiled itself before springing.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To encircle and hold with, or as with, coils. [Obs. or R.]
        --T. Edwards.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Coil \Coil\, v. i.
     To wind itself cylindrically or spirally; to form a coil; to
     wind; -- often with about or around.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           You can see his flery serpents . . .
           Coiting, playing in the water.           --Longfellow.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Coil \Coil\, n.
     1. A ring, series of rings, or spiral, into which a rope, or
        other like thing, is wound.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The wild grapevines that twisted their coils from
              trec to tree.                         --W. Irving.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Fig.: Entanglement; toil; mesh; perplexity.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. A series of connected pipes in rows or layers, as in a
        steam heating apparatus.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Induction coil}. (Elec.) See under {Induction}.
  
     {Ruhmkorff's coil} (Elec.), an induction coil, sometimes so
        called from Ruhmkorff, a prominent manufacturer of the
        apparatus.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  coil
       n 1: a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous
            series of loops; "a coil of rope" [syn: {spiral}, {volute},
             {whorl}, {helix}]
       2: a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles [syn:
           {whorl}, {roll}, {curl}, {curlicue}, {ringlet}, {gyre}, {scroll}]
       3: a transformer that supplies high voltage to spark plugs in a
          gasoline engine
       4: a contraceptive device placed inside a woman's womb
       5: tubing that is wound in a spiral
       6: reactor consisting of a spiral of insulated wire that
          introduces inductance into a circuit
       v 1: to wind or move in a spiral course; "the muscles and nerves
            of his fine drawn body were coiling for action"; "black
            smoke coiling up into the sky"; "the young people
            gyrated on the dance floor" [syn: {gyrate}, {spiral}]
       2: make without a potter's wheel; "This famous potter
          hand-builds all of her vessels" [syn: {handbuild}, {hand-build}]
       3: wind around something in coils or loops [syn: {loop}, {curl}]
          [ant: {uncoil}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  63 Moby Thesaurus words for "coil":
     bolt, braid, brouhaha, bun, chignon, circles, cirrus, coil,
     corkscrew, crimp, crisp, cue, curl, curlicue, entwine, enwrap,
     evolute, foofaraw, furore, gyre, helix, involute, kink, knot, loop,
     part, piece, pigtail, plait, portion, queue, rattail, revolve,
     ringlet, roll, rotate, ruckus, rumpus, run, screw, scroll, shindig,
     shindy, snake, spiral, strip, swirl, tail, tendril, topknot, turn,
     twine, twirl, twist, uproar, volute, volution, vortex, whirl,
     whorl, wind, wrap, wreathe