reel
/ˈɹiːl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.68 in modern English
4
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A lively dance originating in Scotland.
noun
A device consisting of radial arms with horizontal stats, connected with a harvesting machine, for holding the stalks of grain in position to be cut by the knives.
noun
A short compilation of sample film work used as a demonstrative resume in the entertainment industry.
noun
A chronological collection of pictures or short videos published by a user on an app or website and typically only available for a short period.
verb
To wind on a reel.
Example Sentences
- "Doubtless the present game of chess was developed through just such fiddling; perhaps someone once thought that the drunken reel of the knight was hostile to the essence of Chess."
- "So strict is the kirk of Scotland, that one minister was unfrocked for writing a play (in former times); and another was sent about his business for being too fond of whiskey and of dancing the reel of Tullochgorum."
- "[…]sample the famed waters from the Scottish mountains like a native born, and last but not least, play a reel on the bagpipes in the big hall that set all the laddies and lassies dancing."
- "The traditional reel Within a Mile of Dublin, for instance, distorts until it reaches something quasi-industrial."
- "a log reel"
- "an angler's reel"
Etymology
From Middle English reel, reele, from Old English rēol, hrēol, from Proto-West Germanic *hrehul, from Proto-Germanic *hrehulaz, *hrahilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *krek- (“to weave, beat”). Cognate with Icelandic ræl, hræll.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: reel, rēol, *hrehul, *hrehulaz, *krek-