Plural of coil; spiraled or wound loops of rope, wire, or other flexible material. In physics, often refers to electromagnetic coils used in motors and generators.
From Old French coillir 'to gather,' from Latin colligere (com- 'together' + legere 'to choose, gather'). The sense of 'wind in rings' developed from the idea of gathering something in a compact form.
Coils are nature's favorite shape - from DNA's double helix to nautilus shells to galaxies, the coiled form appears everywhere because it's the most efficient way to pack maximum length into minimum space while maintaining structural strength.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.