Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Old French
Origin: coillir, %cuillir% 'to gather'

coil

1 verb
     
coil1 also coil up [intransitive and transitive]
to wind or twist into a series of rings, or to make something do this:
The snake coiled around the branches of the tree.
Her long hair was coiled up in a plait at the top of her head.
He coiled the rope.
—coiled adjective [only before noun]
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary