7  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Spin  \Spin\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Spun}(Archaic  imp.  {Span});  p. 
  pr  &  vb  n.  {Spinning}.]  [AS.  spinnan  akin  to  D.  &  G. 
  spinnen,  Icel.  &  Sw  spinna,  Dan.  spinde,  Goth.  spinnan  and 
  probably  to  E.  span.  [root]170.  Cf  {Span},  v.  t.,  {Spider}.] 
  1.  To  draw  out  and  twist  into  threads,  either  by  the  hand  or 
  machinery;  as  to  spin  wool,  cotton,  or  flax;  to  spin 
  goat's  hair;  to  produce  by  drawing  out  and  twisting  a 
  fibrous  material. 
 
  All  the  yarn  she  [Penelope]  spun  in  Ulysses'  absence 
  did  but  fill  Ithaca  full  of  moths.  --Shak. 
 
  2.  To  draw  out  tediously;  to  form  by  a  slow  process,  or  by 
  degrees;  to  extend  to  a  great  length;  --  with  out  as  to 
  spin  out  large  volumes  on  a  subject. 
 
  Do  you  mean  that  story  is  tediously  spun  out? 
  --Sheridan. 
 
  3.  To  protract;  to  spend  by  delays;  as  to  spin  out  the  day 
  in  idleness. 
 
  By  one  delay  after  another  they  spin  out  their  whole 
  lives.  --L'Estrange. 
 
  4.  To  cause  to  turn  round  rapidly;  to  whirl;  to  twirl;  as  to 
  spin  a  top 
 
  5.  To  form  (a  web,  a  cocoon,  silk,  or  the  like)  from  threads 
  produced  by  the  extrusion  of  a  viscid,  transparent  liquid, 
  which  hardens  on  coming  into  contact  with  the  air;  --  said 
  of  the  spider,  the  silkworm,  etc 
 
  6.  (Mech.)  To  shape,  as  malleable  sheet  metal,  into  a  hollow 
  form  by  bending  or  buckling  it  by  pressing  against  it 
  with  a  smooth  hand  tool  or  roller  while  the  metal 
  revolves,  as  in  a  lathe. 
 
  {To  spin  a  yarn}  (Naut.),  to  tell  a  story,  esp.  a  long  or 
  fabulous  tale. 
 
  {To  spin  hay}  (Mil.),  to  twist  it  into  ropes  for  convenient 
  carriage  on  an  expedition. 
 
  {To  spin  street  yarn},  to  gad  about  gossiping.  [Collog.] 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Spin  \Spin\,  v.  i. 
  1.  To  practice  spinning;  to  work  at  drawing  and  twisting 
  threads;  to  make  yarn  or  thread  from  fiber;  as  the  woman 
  knows  how  to  spin;  a  machine  or  jenny  spins  with  great 
  exactness. 
 
  They  neither  know  to  spin,  nor  care  to  toll. 
  --Prior. 
 
  2.  To  move  round  rapidly;  to  whirl;  to  revolve,  as  a  top  or  a 
  spindle,  about  its  axis. 
 
  Round  about  him  spun  the  landscape,  Sky  and  forest 
  reeled  together.  --Longfellow. 
 
  With  a  whirligig  of  jubilant  mosquitoes  spinning 
  about  each  head.  --G.  W.  Cable. 
 
  3.  To  stream  or  issue  in  a  thread  or  a  small  current  or  jet; 
  as  blood  spinsfrom  a  vein.  --Shak. 
 
  4.  To  move  swifty;  as  to  spin  along  the  road  in  a  carriage, 
  on  a  bicycle,  etc  [Colloq.] 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Spin  \Spin\,  n. 
  1.  The  act  of  spinning;  as  the  spin  of  a  top  a  spin  a 
  bicycle.  [Colloq.] 
 
  2.  (Kinematics)  Velocity  of  rotation  about  some  specified 
  axis. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  spin 
  n  1:  a  swift  whirling  motion  (usually  of  a  missile) 
  2:  the  act  of  rotating  rapidly;  "he  gave  the  crank  a  spin";  "it 
  broke  off  after  much  twisting"  [syn:  {twirl},  {twist},  {twisting}, 
  {whirl}] 
  3:  rapid  descent  of  an  aircraft  in  a  steep  spiral  spin  [syn:  {tailspin}] 
  v  1:  revolve  quickly  and  repeatedly  around  one's  own  axis;  "The 
  dervishes  whirl  around  and  around  without  getting  dizzy" 
  [syn:  {spin  around},  {whirl},  {reel},  {gyrate}] 
  2:  stream  in  jets,  of  liquids:  "The  creek  spun  its  course 
  through  the  woods" 
  3:  cause  to  spin;  "spin  a  coin"  [syn:  {whirl},  {birl},  {twirl}] 
  4:  make  up  a  story,  as  in  "spin  a  yarn" 
  5:  form  a  web  by  making  a  thread,  as  of  spiders 
  6:  work  natural  fibers  into  a  thread;  "spin  silk" 
  7:  narrate  or  give  a  detailed  account  of  "Tell  what  happened"; 
  "The  father  told  a  story  to  his  child"  [syn:  {tell},  {narrate}, 
  {recount},  {recite}] 
  8:  prolong  or  extend;  "spin  out  a  visit"  [syn:  {spin  out}] 
 
  From  Jargon  File  (4.2.3,  23  NOV  2000)  [jargon]: 
 
  spin  vi  Equivalent  to  {buzz}.  More  common  among  C  and  Unix 
  programmers.  See  the  discussion  of  `spinlock'  under  {busy-wait}. 
 
 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  spin 
 
  Equivalent  to  {buzz}.  More  common  among  {C}  and  {Unix} 
  programmers. 
 
  [{Jargon  File}] 
 
 
 
  From  V.E.R.A.  --  Virtual  Entity  of  Relevant  Acronyms  13  March  2001  [vera]: 
 
  SPIN 
  Sponsored  Programs  Information  Network 
 
 

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