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Origin and history of spindle

spindle(n.)

"small tapering bar hung from the end of the thread as it is drawn from the fiber on the distaff," early 13c., spindel, with unetymological -d-, from Old English spinel "small wooden bar used in hand-spinning," properly "an instrument for spinning," from stem of spinnan (see spin (v.)) + instrumental suffix -el (1) as in handle, treadle, thimble, etc.

It is cognate with Old Saxon spinnila, Old Frisian spindel, Old High German spinnila, German Spindel. The -d- perhaps is by influence of windel "wooden reel for winding yarn" (early 14c., itself perhaps from a derivative of Old Norse vindla "to wind up" or Middle Dutch windelen). But it also might be a euphonic insertion, as in kindred, tender, etc., for which process see D.

Transferred to the pin in spinning-wheels, then late 18c. to machine parts. It is attested from early 14c. as "axle of any revolving tool or instrument." As a quantity or measure of yarn ("amount collected on a spindle"), mid-15c. As a type of something slender, it is attested from 1570s, especially of legs. As with distaff, sometimes formerly used as a metonym for "the female sex," as in Old English spinelhealf "female line of descent," distinguished from sperehealf "male line of descent."

also from early 13c.

Entries linking to spindle

fourth letter of the Roman alphabet, from Greek delta, from Phoenician and Hebrew daleth, pausal form of deleth "door," so called from its shape.

The form of the modern letter is the Greek delta (Δ) with one angle rounded. As the sign for "500" in Roman numerals, it is said to be half of CIƆ, which was an early form of M, the sign for "1,000." 3-D for "three-dimensional" is attested from 1952.

Unetymological -d- is the result of a tendency in English and neighboring languages, perhaps for euphony, to add -d- to -n-, and especially to insert or swap a -d- sound when -l- or -r- follow too closely an -n-.

Compare sound (n.1), thunder (n.), pound (v.), spindle, kindred, strand (n.2) "fiber of rope," dialectal rundel, rundle for runnel. Swound was a form of swoun (swoon) attested from mid-15c, and used by Malory, Spenser, Lyly, Middleton, Beaumont & Fletcher. Also obsolete round (n.) "whispering," variant of roun "secret, mystery, divine mystery" (from Old English run, source of rune), with unetymological -d attested by 15c. in the verb.

Among the words from French are powder (n.), meddle, tender (adj.), remainder, gender (n.), also riband, jaundice. It is less evident in spider (an agent noun from the Germanic *spin- root), and perhaps explains lender in place of loaner.

distaff(n.)

Old English distæf "long, cleft stick that holds flax for spinning," from dis- "bunch of flax" (cognates: Middle Low German dise, Low German diesse "a bunch of flax on a distaff;" compare bedizen) + stæf "stick, staff" (see staff (n.) ).

Figurative of "women's work" from late 14c.; a synonym in English for "a woman, the female sex, female authority in the family," at least since late 15c., presumably because spinning was typically done by women of all ranks. Hence distaff side (1848) a 19c. collective name (affecting to be older) for the female members of a family, especially with reference to relationship and descent (opposed to the spear side).

St. Distaff's Day (1640s) was Jan. 7, when "women resumed their spinning and other ordinary employments after the holidays" [OED].