A cylinder or bobbin on which thread, wire, tape, or film is wound for storage or use.
From Middle Dutch 'spole' or Middle Low German 'spule', possibly related to Old French 'espole'. The word traveled through trade languages and settled into English with the meaning of a cylindrical winding device.
The humble spool is where analog technology still survives—from old film reels to fishing line, the spool remains one of engineering's most elegant designs because it solves the basic problem of organizing long, thin materials without tangling.
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