spindle

/ˈspɪndl/ (bre, ipa) · [spˈɪndəl] /ˈspɪndl/ (ame, ipa) · [spˈɪndəl] /ˈspin-dᵊl/ (ame, mw)

spindle — 名詞

  • spindlesingular
  • spindlesplural

1. A long, thin rod or shaft in a machine that rotates or has material wound around

1.名詞B2
釋義

紡錘；主軸

機器中的旋轉軸，或紡紗用的繞線桿

A long, thin rod or shaft in a machine that rotates or has material wound around it. In hand spinning, the rod that twists fibres such as wool into thread or yarn.

例句

Reuben wound the freshly spun wool onto the wooden spindle of his grandmother's spinning wheel.

Reuben 將剛紡好的羊毛繞在祖母紡車的木質紡錘上。

spindle + spinning wheel — traditional spinning context

The lathe's spindle rotates at high speed to shape the metal rod evenly.

車床的主軸高速旋轉，均勻地切削金屬棒。

同義詞
  • shaft

    a broader term for any long rotating rod; less specific to spinning or thin shapes

  • rod

    general term for a straight thin bar; does not imply rotation

  • axle

    specifically supports rotating wheels on a vehicle; not used for textile or hand-spinning

用法筆記

This sense covers both the hand-spinning tool (a tapered wooden rod) and the rotating shaft in industrial machinery. Context makes the meaning clear.

常見錯誤

❌The spindle of the car broke.
✅The axle of the car broke.
💡an axle supports a vehicle's wheels; a spindle is part of a stationary machine or a spinning tool.

2. A sharp upright pin attached to a flat base, used in offices to hold documents t

2.名詞C1
釋義

金屬籤

辦公室文件固定用尖刺架

A sharp upright pin attached to a flat base, used in offices to hold documents temporarily by pushing them onto the spike before they are filed.

例句

The old office still used a spindle to keep invoices arranged in order before filing.

那間老舊的辦公室仍用金屬籤在歸檔前固定發票。

Ritu carefully pushed the signed delivery slip onto the metal spindle on the counter.

Ritu 小心地將簽收過的送貨單插在櫃檯上的金屬籤上。

push onto the spindle — typical filing action

同義詞
  • spike

    a more general word for a sharp pointed object; 'spindle' specifically refers to the office filing device

  • file spike

    a synonym that explicitly names its function

用法筆記

These office spikes are now rare; the phrase 'do not fold, spindle, or mutilate' on old punched-card forms is a historical reference many learners encounter in American English texts.

常見錯誤

❌Please put the papers on the spindle.' (ambiguous)
✅Please push the papers onto the spindle.
💡the action is spearing the paper onto the spike, not placing it on top.

3. A turned piece of wood shaped on a lathe into a decorative pillar, commonly foun

3.名詞C1
釋義

車削飾件

車床加工的木質裝飾支柱或椅腳

A turned piece of wood shaped on a lathe into a decorative pillar, commonly found as a baluster in stair railings, a chair leg, or similar woodwork.

例句

Each baluster on the staircase was a hand-carved spindle shaped from solid oak.

樓梯的每一根欄杆柱都是用橡木手工雕刻的車削飾件。

baluster + staircase — architectural use

Sofia bought four chair legs, each a turned spindle with elegant ring patterns.

Sofia 買了四根椅腳，每根都是帶有優美環紋的車削飾件。

同義詞
  • baluster

    the architectural term for a vertical railing support; a spindle used as a baluster is a subset of balusters

  • newel

    the main supporting post at the start of a staircase rail, not a spindle (which is thinner)

用法筆記

In woodworking, 'spindle' refers to any turned decorative element. The shape is typically produced on a lathe, so the word implies rounded, symmetrical patterns.

常見錯誤

❌The chair has four wooden spindles holding the seat.' (too vague)
✅The chair has four turned wooden spindles supporting the backrest.
💡'turned' clarifies the manufacturing method.

4. A network of microscopic protein fibers in a cell that forms during division and

4.名詞C1
釋義

紡錘體

細胞分裂時分配染色體的纖維結構

A network of microscopic protein fibers in a cell that forms during division and pulls the copied chromosomes to opposite ends so that each new cell receives the correct set.

例句

During mitosis, the spindle fibers pull the duplicated chromosomes toward opposite ends of the cell.

在有絲分裂過程中，紡錘絲將複製後的染色體拉向細胞的兩端。

spindle fibers + mitosis — cell division context

Yara studied how certain drugs disrupt the mitotic spindle and prevent cancer cells from dividing.

Yara 研究某些藥物如何破壞紡錘體，阻止癌細胞分裂。

mitotic spindle — medical research context

同義詞

用法筆記

This is a technical biology term. It is almost always used with 'spindle fibers' or 'mitotic spindle' and appears in formal scientific or medical writing.

常見錯誤

❌The spindle in the cell helps it divide.' (too vague)
✅The mitotic spindle separates the chromosomes during cell division.
💡the full technical term 'mitotic spindle' or 'spindle fibers' is preferred in biology contexts.