Adjacent Words

Bobbin definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BOB'BIN, n. A small pin or cylindrical piece of wood, with a head, on which thread is wound for making lace. A similar instrument, bored through to receive an iron pivot, and with a border at each end,is used in spinning, to wind thread or silk on; a spool.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a winder around which thread or tape or film or other flexible materials can be wound [syn: bobbin, spool, reel]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: origin unknown Date: 1530 1. a. a cylinder or spindle on which yarn or thread is wound (as in a sewing machine) b. any of various small round devices on which threads are wound for working handmade lace c. a coil of insulated wire; also the reel it is wound on 2. a cotton cord formerly used by dressmakers for piping

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a a cylinder or cone holding thread, yarn, wire, etc., used esp. in weaving and machine sewing. b a spool or reel. 2 a small bar and string for raising a door-latch. Phrases and idioms: bobbin-lace lace made by hand with thread wound on bobbins. Etymology: F bobine

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bobbin Bob"bin, n. [F. bobine; of uncertain origin; cf. L. bombus a humming, from the noise it makes, or Ir. & Gael. baban tassel, or E. bob.] 1. A small pin, or cylinder, formerly of bone, now most commonly of wood, used in the making of pillow lace. Each thread is wound on a separate bobbin which hangs down holding the thread at a slight tension. 2. A spool or reel of various material and construction, with a head at one or both ends, and sometimes with a hole bored through its length by which it may be placed on a spindle or pivot. It is used to hold yarn or thread, as in spinning or warping machines, looms, sewing machines, etc. 3. The little rounded piece of wood, at the end of a latch string, which is pulled to raise the latch. 4. (Haberdashery) A fine cord or narrow braid. 5. (Elec.) A cylindrical or spool-shaped coil or insulated wire, usually containing a core of soft iron which becomes magnetic when the wire is traversed by an electrical current. Bobbin and fly frame, a roving machine. Bobbin lace, lace made on a pillow with bobbins; pillow lace.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(bobbins) A bobbin is a small round object on which thread or wool is wound to hold it, for example on a sewing machine. N-COUNT