Etymology : Middle English, from Old English hrEol; akin to Old Norse hræll weaver's reed, Greek krekein to weave
Pronunciation : 'rE(&)l
Function : noun
Date : before 12th century
1. spool, cylinder around which long flexible material is wound (such as thread, film, etc.). roll up, wind onto a spool; sway, falter, move unsteadily. reel\reel\, v. i. [cf. sw. ragla. see:
2d reel.].
2. to incline, in walking, from one side to the other; to stagger. they reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man. cvii.
3. he, with heavy fumes oppressed, reeled from the palace, and retired to rest. the wagons reeling under the yellow sheaves.
4. to have a whirling sensation; to be giddy. in these lengthened vigils his brain often reeled.reel \reel\ (r?l), n. [gael. righil.] a lively dance of the highlanders of scotland; also, the music to the dance; -- often called scotch reel.
5. real.
6. A lively dance of the Highlanders of Scotland; also, the music to the dance; often called Scotch reel.
7. A frame with radial arms, or a kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound; as, a log reel, used by seamen; an angler's reel; a garden reel.
8. A machine on which yarn is wound and measured into lays and hanks, for cotton or linen it is fifty-four inches in circuit; for worsted, thirty inches.
9. A device consisting of radial arms with horizontal stats, connected with a harvesting machine, for holding the stalks of grain in position to be cut by the knives.
10. To roll.
11. To wind upon a reel, as yarn or thread.
12. To incline, in walking, from one side to the other; to stagger.
13. To have a whirling sensation; to be giddy.
14. The act or motion of reeling or staggering; as, a drunken reel. a lively dance of Scottish highlanders; marked by circular moves and gliding steps winder consisting of a revolving spool with a handle; attached to a fishing rod a roll of photographic film holding a series of frames to be projected by a movie projector music composed for dancing a reel wind onto or off a reel.
15. real. real. real.
16. real.
17. 1. A reel is a cylindrical object around which you wrap something such as cinema film, magnetic tape, fishing line, or cotton thread. a 30m reel of cable.
18. If someone reels, they move about in an unsteady way as if they are going to fall. He was reeling a little. He must be very drunk He lost his balance and reeled back.
19. If you are reeling from a shock, you are feeling extremely surprised or upset because of it. I'm still reeling from the shock of hearing of it It left us reeling with disbelief.
20. If you say that your brain or your mind is reeling, you mean that you are very confused because you have too many things to think about. His mind reeled at the question. A hand-held hammer used in a quarry for shaping granite blocks. See Regional Note at reeling.