• (British, America) IPA: /kɔɪl/
• (Appalachians, obsolete) IPA: /kwaɪl/

From Middle English coilen, from Old French coillir, cuillir (modern French cueillir), from Latin colligō, past participle collectus, from com- ("together") + legō; compare legend.

coil (plural coils)

1. Something wound in the form of a helix or spiral.

   the sinuous coils of a snake

   • 1819 June 23 – 1820 September 13, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “(please specify the title)”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., New York, N.Y.: […] C[ornelius] S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC ↗:

     The wild grapevines that twisted their coils or tendrils from tree to tree.

2. Any intrauterine device (abbreviation: IUD)—the first IUDs were coil-shaped.
3. (electronics) A coil of electrically conductive wire through which electricity can flow.

   Synonyms: inductor

4. A cylinder of clay.
5. (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.

• French: spire
• German: Spirale, Wickel, Rolle, Windung
• Italian: spirale
• Portuguese: espiral
• Russian: спира́ль
• Spanish: espiral, hélice

• French: bobine
• German: Spule
• Italian: bobina
• Portuguese: bobina
• Russian: кату́шка
• Spanish: bobina, bobinado

coil (coils, present participle coiling; simple past and past participle coiled)

1. 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.

2. To wind into loops (roughly) around a common center.

   The sailor coiled the free end of the hawser on the pier.

3. To wind cylindrically or spirally.

   to coil a rope when not in use

   The snake coiled itself before springing.

4. To build a pot (etc) with clay coils.
5. (obsolete, rare) To encircle and hold with, or as if with, coils.
   • a. 1757, Thomas Edwards (critic), sonnet to Mr. Nathanael Mason

     Pleasure coil thee in her dangerous snare

• French: enrouler, embobiner
• Portuguese: enrolar
• Russian: свёртывать

• Portuguese: enrolar
• Russian: нама́тывать
• Spanish: enrollar

coil (plural coils)

1. (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?

   • 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; [...]

coil

1. (informal, slang) A wad of cash.

• Russian: шум

1. Surname.

coil (plural coils)

1. Abbreviation of chemical oxygen-iodine laser

   Hypernyms: chemical laser, laser, OIL

   Coordinate terms: DOIL, EOIL