<B>spinstry, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the work or occupation of spinning. </DL>
<A NAME="spinthariscope">
<B>spinthariscope, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an instrument in which the alpha particles emitted by radioactive substances are evidenced by the production of tiny sparks when the particles strike a fluorescent screen; scintilloscope. </DL>
<A NAME="spinthariscopic">
<B>spinthariscopic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or by means of a spinthariscope. </DL>
<A NAME="spinthebottle">
<B>spin the bottle,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a game of spinning a bottle and kissing the partner of the opposite sex that the bottle finally points to. <DD><B> 2. </B>a children's game of spinning a bottle and calling out the name of a player who must catch the bottle before it stops spinning. </DL>
<A NAME="spintherism">
<B>spintherism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the sensation as of points of light dancing before the eyes. </DL>
<A NAME="spinto">
<B>spinto, </B>adjective, noun, pl. <B>-tos.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Music.) <DD><I>adj. </I> high and strong. <BR> <I>Ex. a spinto soprano, a spinto lyric tenor, spinto passages.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a spinto voice. <DD><B> 2. </B>a part for such a voice. <DD><B> 3. </B>a lyric tenor or soprano with such a voice. </DL>
<A NAME="spintunnel">
<B>spin tunnel,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a wind tunnel that tests the performance of an aircraft in a tail spin. </DL>
<A NAME="spinulate">
<B>spinulate, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Zoology.) covered with little spines. <BR> <I>Ex. spinulate hairs.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spinulated">
<B>spinulated, </B>adjective. =spinulate.</DL>
<A NAME="spinule">
<B>spinule, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a small, sharp-pointed spine. adj. <B>spinulelike.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="spinulescent">
<B>spinulescent, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) producing small spines; somewhat spiny. </DL>
<B>spin wave,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Nuclear Physics.) a wave propagated by the deviation of a nuclear spin; magnon. </DL>
<A NAME="spiny">
<B>spiny, </B>adjective, <B>spinier,</B> <B>spiniest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>covered with spines; having spines; thorny. <BR> <I>Ex. a spiny cactus, a spiny porcupine.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>stiff and sharp-pointed; spinelike. <BR> <I>Ex. the spiny quills of a porcupine.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) difficult; troublesome; thorny. <BR> <I>Ex. His spiny disposition made it difficult to approach him.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spinyanteater">
<B>spiny anteater,</B> =echidna.</DL>
<A NAME="spinydogfish">
<B>spiny dogfish,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a family of small sharks with a spine in front of each dorsal fin. </DL>
<A NAME="spinyfinned">
<B>spiny-finned, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having fins with sharp, rigid, unsegmented rays. <BR> <I>Ex. The bass and perch are spiny-finned.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spinyheadedworm">
spiny-headed worm, =acanthocephalan.</DL>
<A NAME="spinylobster">
<B>spiny lobster,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of various lobsters much like the usual kind but lacking the enlarged pair of claws; sea crayfish. </DL>
<B>spiny-skinned, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having or covered with skin consisting of spinelike projections; echinodermatous. <BR> <I>Ex. Like the familiar starfish, sea urchins, and sand dollars, they are in the general category of spiny-skinned animals known as echinoderms (Science News Letter).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spiracle">
<B>spiracle, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a small opening for breathing. Insects take in air through tiny spiracles. A whale breathes through a spiracle in the top of its head. A shark or ray gives off water through a spiracle. <DD><B> 2. </B>an opening in the ground by which underground vapors are given off; air hole. </DL>
<A NAME="spiracular">
<B>spiracular, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of or having to do with spiracles. <DD><B> 2. </B>serving as a spiracle. </DL>
<A NAME="spiraea">
<B>spiraea, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a shrub that has clusters of small white, pink, or red flowers with five petals. The spiraeas comprise a genus of plants of the rose family. The bridal wreath and meadowsweet are two kinds. Also, <B>spirea.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="spiral">
<B>spiral, </B>noun, adjective, verb, <B>-raled,</B> <B>-raling</B> or (especially British) <B>-ralled,</B> <B>-ralling.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a winding and gradually widening curve or coil. A watch spring is a spiral. The thread of a screw is a spiral. <DD><B> 2. </B>one of the separate circles or coils of a spiral object. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) a continuous and expanding increase or decrease, as in prices, wages, or employment. <BR> <I>Ex. an inflationary spiral, a deflationary spiral.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>the descent of an aircraft in a spiral path. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Football.) a kick or pass in which the ball spins through the air on its longer axis. <DD><B> 6. </B><B>=helix.</B> <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>winding or coiling around a fixed center while moving away or toward it; coiled; helical. <BR> <I>Ex. a spiral staircase. A snail's shell has a spiral shape.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>having to do with or like a spiral or coil. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to move or wind in a spiral. <BR> <I>Ex. (Figurative.) There is no security for anyone in a spiraling arms race (Saturday Review).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(of an airplane) to descend in a spiral course. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to form into a spiral; approach in a spiral. <BR> <I>Ex. The plane spiraled the airport before landing.</I> adv. <B>spirally.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="spiralbinding">
<B>spiral binding,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a binding for a notebook, booklet, or the like in which a spiral coil of wire or plastic passes through holes on the edge of each page to hold the pages together. </DL>
<A NAME="spiralbound">
<B>spiral-bound, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> bound with a spiral coil of wire or plastic looping the pages together. <BR> <I>Ex. a spiral-bound notebook.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spiralgalaxy">
<B>spiral galaxy</B> or <B>nebula,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a galaxy or nebula appearing as one or more spiraling streams issuing from a center. <BR> <I>Ex. Our Milky Way system seems to be a spiral galaxy, presumably very much resembling in outline and appearance the Great Spiral in Andromeda (Bart J. Bok).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spiralgear">
<B>spiral gear,</B> =helical gear.</DL>
<A NAME="spiraliform">
<B>spiraliform, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having the form of a spiral. <DD><B> 2. </B>having to do with a type of decoration based on the spiral, common in primitive art, especially the Mycenaean in Greece and Crete. </DL>
<A NAME="spirality">
<B>spirality, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> spiral quality; degree of being spiral. </DL>
<B>spire</B> (1), noun, verb, <B>spired,</B> <B>spiring.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1a. </B>the top part of a tower or steeple that narrows to a point. <BR> <I>Ex. The steeple, which has a spire to it, is placed in the middle of the church (Laurence Sterne).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>a tall structure rising from a tower, roof, or other structure, and ending in a slender point; steeple. <BR> <I>Ex. that sweet city with her dreaming spires (Matthew Arnold).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) anything tapering or pointed. <BR> <I>Ex. the spire of an icicle, a spire of flame, the spire of a sword.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) the highest point of something; peak; summit. <BR> <I>Ex. The sunset shone on the rocky spires of the mountains.</I> <DD><B> 4a. </B>a young or tender shoot or sprout. <DD><B> b. </B>a blade or shoot of grass, etc.; spear. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to shoot up; rise into a spire. <BR> <I>Ex. (Figurative.) The crowded firs spire from thy shores (Samuel Taylor Coleridge).</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> to furnish with a spire or spires. adj. <B>spirelike.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="spire">
<B>spire</B> (2), noun, verb, <B>spired,</B> <B>spiring.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a coil; spiral. <DD><B> 2. </B>a single twist of a coil or spiral. <DD><B> 3. </B>the upper part of a spiral shell, excluding the body whorl. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to wind spirally; move with a coiling or spiral movement. <BR> <I>Ex. The worms ... spired about his bones (William Butler Yeats). (Figurative.) The smoke spired upwards.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spirea">
<B>spirea, </B>noun. =spiraea.</DL>
<A NAME="spired">
<B>spired</B> (1), adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having a tapering, sharp-pointed top; peaked. <BR> <I>Ex. the spired roof of a silo.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>having or carrying a spire. <BR> <I>Ex. a spired tower.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spired">
<B>spired</B> (2), adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having a spire or coil. <BR> <I>Ex. a spired shell.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spireme">
<B>spireme, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the threadlike coils appearing in the nucleus of a cell at the beginning of the prophase of mitosis, which give rise to the chromosomes. </DL>
<A NAME="spiricle">
<B>spiricle, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) one of the delicate coiled threads on the surface of certain seeds and fruits, which uncoil when wet. </DL>
<A NAME="spiriferous">
<B>spiriferous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having a spire, as a univalve shell. <DD><B> 2. </B>having spiral appendages, as a brachiopod. </DL>
<A NAME="spirillum">
<B>spirillum, </B>noun, pl. <B>-rilla.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>any bacteria of a group having long, rigid, spirally twisted forms and bearing a tuft of flagella. They comprise a genus of bacteria. <DD><B> 2. </B>any one of various spirally twisted microorganisms. </DL>
