Moving unsteadily or spinning, as if dizzy; also, winding something onto a reel.
From Old English 'hreol' (to reel/spin) or from the noun 'reel' (a spool), possibly related to Old Norse 'hreela.' The dual meaning comes from the spinning motion involved in both dizziness and winding.
The Scottish Highland dance 'Reel of Tulloch' gets its name from this same root—the spinning and rotating movements of the dance mimic the motion of a reel spinning thread or a person dizzy and off-balance.
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