spin

spin [spin]

vt.

spun, spinning [ME spinnen < OE spinnan, akin to Ger spinnen < IE base * (s)pen(d)-, to pull, draw, spin > Lith spéndžiu, to lay a snare & (prob.) L pendere, to hang]

1.

a) to draw out and twist fibers of (wool, cotton, etc.) into thread

b) to make (thread, yarn, etc.) by this process

2. to make (a web, cocoon, etc.) from a filament of a viscous fluid that is extruded from the body and hardens on exposure to the air: said of spiders, silkworms, etc.

3. to make or produce in a way suggestive of spinning [to spin a tale]

4. to draw out (a story, etc.) to a great length; prolong; protract

5. to cause to whirl or rotate swiftly [to spin a top]

6. to cause (wheels of a vehicle) to rotate freely without traction, as on ice or in sand

7. to extract water from (clothes) in a washer by the centrifugal force of swift rotation

vi.

1. to spin thread or yarn

2. to form a thread, web, etc.: said of spiders, etc.

3. to fish with a spinning reel

4. to whirl or rotate swiftly

5. to go into or descend in a spin: said of an aircraft

6. to seem to be spinning from dizziness

7. to move along swiftly and smoothly

8. to rotate freely without traction [wheels spinning on ice]

n.

1. the act of spinning or rotating something

2. a spinning or rotating movement

3. a moving along swiftly and smoothly

4. a ride or pleasure trip in a motor vehicle

5. any descent in which an airplane comes down nose first along a spiral path of large pitch and small radius

6. any sudden, steep downward movement

☆ 7. [from the fact that the spin imparted to a ball in certain games affects its direction, bounce, etc.] a particular emphasis or slant imparted to information in order to create a desired effect, such as a favorable public image for a politician

8. Physics

a) the intrinsic angular momentum of an elementary particle or photon, produced by rotation about its own axis

b) the total angular momentum of a nuclide

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spin off

1. to produce as an outgrowth or secondary benefit, development, etc.

2. to get rid of

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☆ spin out

Informal to slide with a spinning or rotating movement: said of a vehicle that is out of control