Etymology 1
From Middle English coilen , from Old French coillir , cuillir ( “ to gather, pluck, pick, cull ” ) (modern French cueillir ), from Latin colligō ( “ to gather together ” ) , past participle collectus , from com- ( “ together ” ) + legō ( “ to gather ” ) ; compare legend . Doublet of cull .
Helical or coil springs
Noun
coil (plural coils )
Something wound in the form of a helix or spiral .
the sinuous coils of a snake
Any intrauterine device (abbreviation: IUD )—the first IUDs were coil-shaped.
2020 , Paul Mendez , Rainbow Milk , Dialogue Books (2021), page 293 :‘I’m gonna go on the pill and get fitted for a coil . I don’t wanna be pregnant. Ever. Again! ’
( electronics ) A coil of electrically conductive wire through which electricity can flow.
Synonym: inductor
A cylinder of clay.
( figurative ) Entanglement; perplexity.
a. 1722 , Matthew Prior , “Human Life”, in H. Bunker Wright, Monroe K. Spears, editors, The Literary Works of Matthew Prior , Second edition, volume I, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1971 , page 687 :What trifling coil do we mortals keep; Wake, eat, and drink, evacuate, and sleep.
Translations
something wound
Arabic: مِلَفّ m ( milaff ) , وَشِيعَة f ( wašīʕa )
Armenian: գալար (hy) ( galar )
Bulgarian: намо́тка (bg) f ( namótka ) , нави́вка f ( navívka )
Chinese:
Mandarin: 螺線 / 螺线 (zh) ( luóxiàn ) , 螺旋 (zh) ( luóxuán )
Czech: spirála (cs)
Danish: spiral c
Dutch: spiraal (nl) c , veer (nl) f
Estonian: keerd , spiraal
Finnish: kierukka (fi) , vyyhti (fi) , kela (fi)
French: spire (fr) f
German: Spirale (de) f , Wickel (de) m , Rolle (de) f , Windung (de) f
Greek: σπείρα (el) f ( speíra ) , κουλούρα (el) f ( kouloúra )
Ancient: σπείραμα n ( speírama )
Icelandic: spírall m , verri m
Italian: spirale (it) f
Japanese: とぐろ (ja) ( toguro ) , 渦状 ( かじょう, kajō ) , 螺旋 (ja) ( らせん, rasen )
Latvian: ritulis (lv) m
Macedonian: на́мотка f ( námotka )
Maori: pōkai , pōkai
Norwegian:
Bokmål: spiral m
Nynorsk: spiral m
Occitan: espira f
Polish: zwój (pl)
Portuguese: espiral (pt) f
Russian: спира́ль (ru) f ( spirálʹ ) , кольцо́ (ru) n ( kolʹcó ) , вито́к (ru) m ( vitók )
Scottish Gaelic: lùb f
Spanish: espiral (es) f , hélice (es) f
Swedish: spiral (sv) c , rulle (sv) c
Turkish: makara (tr)
Ukrainian: кото́к m ( kotók ) , коту́шка f ( kotúška ) , спіра́ль f ( spirálʹ )
coil of electrically conductive wire through which electricity can flow
— see also inductor
Verb
coil (third-person singular simple present coils , present participle coiling , simple past and past participle coiled )
To wind or reel e.g. a wire or rope into regular rings, often around a centerpiece.
A simple transformer can be made by coiling two pieces of insulated copper wire around an iron heart.
To wind into loops (roughly) around a common center.
The sailor coiled the free end of the hawser on the pier.
To wind cylindrically or spirally.
to coil a rope when not in use
The snake coiled itself before springing.
To build a pot (etc) with clay coils.
( obsolete , rare ) To encircle and hold with, or as if with, coils.
a. 1757 , Thomas Edwards , sonnet to Mr. Nathanael Mason
Pleasure coil thee in her dangerous snare
Translations
wind into regular rings
Armenian: գալարել (hy) ( galarel )
Bulgarian: навивам (bg) ( navivam ) , намотавам (bg) ( namotavam )
Chinese:
Mandarin: 缠 (zh) ( chán )
Danish: sno , rulle sammen
Dutch: oprollen (nl) , opschieten (nl) , opwinden (nl)
Finnish: kiertää (fi) , keriä (fi) , käämiä (fi)
French: enrouler (fr) , embobiner (fr)
Galician: enrolar (gl)
Greek: περιελίσσω (el) ( perielísso ) , περισπειρώ ( perispeiró ) , κουλουριάζω (el) ( koulouriázo )
Maori: pōkai , niko , pōkuru
Occitan: enrotlar
Portuguese: enrolar (pt)
Russian: свёртывать (ru) n ( svjórtyvatʹ )
Swedish: snurra (sv) , sno (sv)
Ukrainian: ви́ти impf ( výty ) , завива́ти impf ( zavyváty ) , зави́ти pf ( zavýty ) , закру́чувати impf ( zakrúčuvaty ) , закрути́ти pf ( zakrutýty )
to wind cylindrically or spirally
Etymology 2
Unknown .
Noun
coil (plural coils )
( now obsolete except in phrases ) A noise , tumult , bustle , or turmoil .
a. 1738 , Thomas Urquhart , Peter Anthony Motteux , and John Ozell (translators), François Rabelais , Gargantua and Pantagruel
And when he saw that all the dogs were flocking about her, yarring at the retardment of their access to her, and every way keeping such a coil with her as they are wont to do about a proud or salt bitch, he forthwith departed [ … ]
c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [ … ] (First Folio ), London: [ … ] Isaac Iaggard , and Ed[ ward] Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , [ Act III, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals) ] :If the windes rage, doth not the Sea wax mad, / Threatning the welkin with his big-swolne face? / And wilt thou haue a reason for this coile ?
1624 , John Smith , Generall Historie , Kupperman, published 1988 , page 162 :this great Savage desired also to see him. A great coyle there was to set him forward.
1704 , [ Jonathan Swift ] , “Section IV”, in A Tale of a Tub. [ … ] , London: [ … ] John Nutt , [ … ] , →OCLC , pages 99–100 :[ T] hey continued ſo extremely fond of Gold , that if Peter ſent them abroad, though it were only upon a Complement; they would Roar , and Spit , and Belch , and Piſs , and Fart , and Snivle out Fire , and keep a perpetual Coyl , till you flung them a Bit of Gold ; [ ...]
References
Hall, Joseph Sargent (1942 March 2) “1. The Vowel Sounds of Stressed Syllables”, in The Phonetics of Great Smoky Mountain Speech (American Speech: Reprints and Monographs; 4), New York : King's Crown Press , →DOI , →ISBN , § 15 , page 46 .
Further reading
“coil ”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary , Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam , 1913 , →OCLC .
“coil ”, in The Century Dictionary [ … ] , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co. , 1911 , →OCLC .