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A slender rod or pin on which anything turns; an axis; as, the spindle of a vane. Specifically: --(a) (Mach.)

Having long, slender legs.

Having long, slender legs. Addison.

Having the shape of a spindle.

A spindlehanks.

A person with slender shanks, or legs; -- used humorously or in contempt.

The pintail duck. [Local, U.S.]

The larva of a noctuid mmoth (Achatodes zeæ) which feeds inside the stalks of corn (maize), sometimes causing much damage. It is smooth, with a black head and tail and a row of black dots across each segment.

A cone-shaped piece of wood on the point of the spindle above the vane, on the mast-head.

hromatic figure, formed in mitotic cell-division, consisting of two asters connected by a spindle-shaped bundle of rodlike fibers diverging from each aster, and called the spindle.

An axle or spindle of a wheel or opinion.

The pin or spindle on which a wheel revolves, or which revolves with a wheel.

A spindle or axle of a wheel. [Obs.]

ocks, lasts, spokes, etc., after a given pattern. The pattern and work rotate on parallel spindles in the same direction with the same speed, and the work is shaped by a rapidly rotating cutter whose position is varied by the pattern acting as a cam upon a follower wheel traversing slowly along the pattern.…

h 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.

The adjustable socket, or step, of a millstone spindle. Knight.

The beam which supports the spindle socket of the runner in a grinding mill. Knight.

A vertical cleated drum or cylinder, revolving on an upright spindle, and surmounted by a drumhead with sockets for bars or levers. It is much used, especially on shipboard, for moving or raising heavy weights or exerting great power by traction upon a rope or cable, passing around the drum. It is operated either by st…

The esculent root of cultivated varieties of the plant, usually spindle-shaped, and of a reddish yellow color.

The rounded or pointed top of a grinding mill spindle, forming a pivot on which the stone is balanced.