Etymology

spindle

spin·dle
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Today it means: A rod used for spinning and then winding fibres (especially wool), usually consisting of a shaft and a circular whorl positioned at either the upper or lower end of the shaft when suspended vertically from the forming thread. Full definition →

Middle English spyndel ← Old English spindle ← Proto-West Germanic *spinnilu
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spindle · noun, verb1

  1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*spinnilu“spindle”
  2. Old English · inherited fromspindle
  3. Middle English · inherited fromspyndel
  4. English todayspindle

From Middle English spyndel, spindle, spyndylle, from Old English spindle, spindel, alteration of earlier spinel, spinil, spinl (“spindle”), from Proto-West Germanic *spinnilu (“spindle”), equivalent to spin + -le. Cognate with Scots spindil, spinnell (“spindle”), Dutch spindel ("spindle"; < Middle Dutch spille, spinle), German Spindel (“spindle”), Danish spindel (“spindle”), Swedish spindel (“spindle”). The dragonfly sense (noun sense 14) is a calque of Swedish slända (dragonfly/spindle); this word was introduced by New Sweden settlers.

Spindle · proper noun2

Originally a nickname for someone who made, sold, or used spindles.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.