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in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
From Middle English reel, reele, from Old English rēol, hrēol, from Proto-West Germanic *hrehul, from Proto-Germanic *hrehulaz, *hrahilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *krek- (“to weave, beat”). Cognate with Icelandic ræl, hræll.
Pronunciation
Noun
reel (plural reels)
- A shaky or unsteady gait.
2010, Andrew Koppelman, The Gay Rights Question in Contemporary American Law, page 92:Doubtless the present game of chess was developed through just such fiddling; perhaps someone once thought that the drunken reel of the knight was hostile to the essence of Chess.
- (dance) A lively dance originating in Scotland.
1824, Felix M'Donogh, The Hermit in Edinburgh:So strict is the kirk of Scotland, that one minister was unfrocked for writing a play (in former times); and another was sent about his business for being too fond of whiskey and of dancing the reel of Tullochgorum.
- (music) The music of this dance; often called a Scottish (or Scotch) reel.
1913, Forest and Stream, volume 80:[…] sample the famed waters from the Scottish mountains like a native born, and last but not least, play a reel on the bagpipes in the big hall that set all the laddies and lassies dancing.
2023 November 13, Patrick Clarke, “‘People’s idea of Irishness is so warped’: John Francis Flynn, the folk singer fighting for Dublin’s spirit”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:The traditional reel Within a Mile of Dublin, for instance, distorts until it reaches something quasi-industrial.
- A kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound.
a log reel (used by seamen)
an angler's reel
a garden reel
- (agriculture) 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.
- (film) A short compilation of sample film work used as a demonstrative resume in the entertainment industry.
- Synonym: showreel
Derived terms
Translations
spool
- Arabic: بَكَرَة f (bakara)
- Armenian: կոճ (hy) (koč)
- Bulgarian: макара́ (bg) f (makará)
- Catalan: carret m, rodet m
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 捲/卷 (zh) (juǎn), 捲筒/卷筒 (zh) (juǎntǒng)
- Danish: tromle c, rulle c, hjul (da) n, trisse c
- Dutch: spoel (nl)
- Finnish: kela (fi)
- French: bobine (fr) f
- Galician: sarillo m, argadelo m
- Georgian: ბაბინა (babina)
- German: Spule (de) f
- Greek: καρούλι (el) n (karoúli), μπομπίνα (el) f (bompína)
- Ancient: πηνίον n (pēníon)
- Hawaiian: pōkaʻa
- Ingrian: katuška
- Irish: roithleán
- Japanese: リール (rīru)
- Korean: 릴 (ril), 실패 (ko) (silpae)
- Latin: alabrum n
- Macedonian: ма́кара f (mákara)
- Maori: takatakai, pōkaimiro (for thread or yarn)
- Portuguese: sarilho
- Romanian: mosor (ro) n, bobină (ro) f
- Russian: боби́на (ru) f (bobína), кату́шка (ru) f (katúška), шпу́лька (ru) f (špúlʹka), бараба́н (ru) m (barabán), во́рот (ru) m (vórot), кабеста́н (ru) m (kabestán), руле́тка (ru) f (rulétka)
- Spanish: carrete (es) m
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machine for winding yarns
device for a harvesting machine
Verb
reel (third-person singular simple present reels, present participle reeling, simple past and past participle reeled)
- To wind on a reel.
- To spin or revolve repeatedly.
- To unwind, to bring or acquire something by spinning or winding something else.
He reeled off some tape from the roll and sealed the package.
- To walk shakily or unsteadily; to stagger; move as if drunk or not in control of oneself.
1725, Homer, “Book II”, in [William Broome], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. , volume I, London: Bernard Lintot, →OCLC:He, with heavy fumes oppress'd, / Reel'd from the palace, and retired to rest.
1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 30, in The Dust of Conflict:It was by his order the shattered leading company flung itself into the houses when the Sin Verguenza were met by an enfilading volley as they reeled into the calle.
1996, Janette Turner Hospital, Oyster, paperback edition, Virago Press, page 111:Sarah reels a little, nevertheless, under the dog's boisterous greeting.
- (with back) To back off, step away, or sway backwards unsteadily and suddenly.
He reeled back from the punch.
1936, F.J. Thwaites, chapter XX, in The Redemption, Sydney: H. John Edwards, published 1940, page 205:Terry's fist lashed out, but Simpson, anticipating the blow, stepped quickly to one side. Another followed, however, and caught the older man fairly on the chin, sent him reeling back.
- To make or cause to reel.
- To have a whirling sensation; to be giddy.
- (figurative, especially as "be reeling") To be in shock.
2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, New York Times, retrieved 31 October 2012:New Jersey was reeling on Wednesday from the impact of Hurricane Sandy, which has caused catastrophic flooding here in Hoboken and in other New York City suburbs, destroyed entire neighborhoods across the state and wiped out iconic boardwalks in shore towns that had enchanted generations of vacationgoers.
- To produce a mechanical insect-like song, as in grass warblers.
- (obsolete) To roll.
- (figurative) To bring in or along.
2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:Frank stood at the sink, and began washing the plates. He realised if he was going to reel his great-aunt into his plan, he was going to have to do it very gently.
Derived terms
Translations
to spin or revolve repeatedly
- Bulgarian: навивам (bg) (navivam)
- Danish: rulle, spole, vinde
- Finnish: pyörittää (fi) (transitive), pyöriä (fi) (intransitive)
- German: drehen (de), kreisen (de)
- Maori: kōripo
- Polish: wirować (pl) impf, kręcić się (pl) impf, krążyć (pl) impf
- Russian: кружи́ть (ru) impf (kružítʹ), верте́ть (ru) impf (vertétʹ) (transitive), кружи́ться (ru) impf (kružítʹsja), верте́ться (ru) impf (vertétʹsja) (intransitive)
- Swedish: rulla (sv), spola (sv)
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to bring or acquire something by spinning or winding something else
to walk shakily or unsteadily
(reel back) to back off or step away unsteadily and quickly
References
Anagrams
Atong (India)
Etymology
Borrowed from English rail, from Middle English rail, rayl, partly from Old English regol (“a ruler, straight bar”) and partly from Old French reille; both from Latin regula (“rule, bar”).
Pronunciation
Noun
reel (Bengali script রেঽল)
- rains
- train
- stud (of a fence)
References
Danish
Etymology 1
Borrowed from French réel (“real”), from Medieval Latin reālis (“actual”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
reel
- real, proper
- reliable, trustworthy, honest (about a person)
- (mathematics) real (being a real number)
Inflection
Inflection of reel
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Positive
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Comparative
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Superlative
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Indefinte common singular
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reel
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Indefinite neuter singular
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reelt
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Plural
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reelle
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Definite attributive1
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reelle
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1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used. 2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.
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Etymology 2
Borrowed from English reel.
Pronunciation
Noun
reel c (singular definite reelen, plural indefinite reeler)
- (dance) reel
Inflection
Romanian
Adjective
reel m or n (feminine singular reelă, masculine plural reeli, feminine and neuter plural reele)
- Obsolete form of real.
Declension
References
- reel in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN
Turkish
Etymology
From French réel, from Latin reālis.
Pronunciation
Adjective
reel
- real
- Synonym: gerçek
Related terms