Standard Lemma guide

bobbin

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɒbɪn
  • CMU ARPABET: B AA1 B AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A spool or cylinder around which wire is coiled.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

In a sewing machine, the small spool that holds the lower thread.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Wind the bobbin, place it in the machine, and raise the thread.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The little rounded piece of wood at the end of a latch string, which is pulled to raise the latch.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A fine cord or narrow braid.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: haberdashery

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a winder around which thread or tape or film or other flexible materials can be wound

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: spool, reel

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: winder

Narrower terms: filature, shuttle

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French bobine, recorded in English since 1530.

Across languages

Translations

113 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: bobinë — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Arabic: بَكَرَة (bakara) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Armenian: կոճ (koč) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Belarusian: кату́шка (katúška) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Belarusian: бабі́на (babína) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Belarusian: шпу́лька (špúlʹka) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Bulgarian: макара́ (makará) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Bulgarian: шпу́ла (špúla) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Bulgarian: боби́на (bobína) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Catalan: bobina — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Chinese Mandarin: 線軸 /线轴 (xiànzhóu) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Czech: cívka — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Danish: spole — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Danish: kniplepind — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Dutch: bobijn — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Dutch: spoel — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Esperanto: bobeno — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Finnish: kela — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Finnish: rulla — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Finnish: puola — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • French: bobine — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Galician: carrete — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Galician: birlo — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Georgian: თითისტარი (titisṭari) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • German: Spule — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • German: Rolle — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Greek: καρούλι (karoúli) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Ancient Greek: πήνη (pḗnē) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Ancient Greek: πηνίον (pēníon) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Hindi: तकला (taklā) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Hindi: तकली (taklī) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Hungarian: cséve — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Icelandic: spóla — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Irish: eiteán — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Italian: bobina — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Japanese: ボビン (bobin) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Kazakh: катушка (katuşka) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Kazakh: шарғы (şarğy) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Khmer: ត្រសាល់ (trɑɑsal) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Korean: 실패 (silpae) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Korean: 보빈 (bobin) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Kyrgyz: катушка (katuşka) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Macedonian: ма́кара (mákara) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Malay: peleting — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Māori: tākaimiro — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Norwegian Bokmål: snelle — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Norwegian Bokmål: spole — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Dari: قَرْقَرَه (qarqara) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Iranian Persian: قِرْقِرِه (ġerġere) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Polish: szpula — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Polish: szpulka — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Portuguese: bobina — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Portuguese: carretel — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Romanian: bobină — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Russian: кату́шка (katúška) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Russian: боби́на (bobína) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Russian: шпу́лька (špúlʹka) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Slovak: cievka — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Slovene: vreteno — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Slovene: tuljava — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Spanish: bobina — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Swedish: spole — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Tagalog: busug-sudlan — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Tagalog: simpian — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Tajik: ғалтак (ġaltak) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Thai: กระสวย (grà-sǔai) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Turkish: bobin — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Turkish: makara — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Turkish: masura — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Ottoman Turkish: ماسوره (masura) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Ottoman Turkish: استاج (istac) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Ottoman Turkish: مقره (makara) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Ottoman Turkish: بوبین (bobin) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Ukrainian: коту́шка (kotúška) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Ukrainian: боби́на (bobýna) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Ukrainian: шпу́лька (špúlʹka) — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Uzbek: katushka — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Uzbek: gʻaltak — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Vietnamese: ống chỉ — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Vietnamese: suốt chỉ — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Walloon: boubene — spool around which wire or thread is coiled
  • Belarusian: шпу́лька (špúlʹka) — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Bulgarian: масу́р (masúr) — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Chinese Mandarin: 線軸 /线轴 (xiànzhóu) — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Czech: špulka — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Danish: spole — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Dutch: bobijn — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Dutch: klos — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Dutch: spoel — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Finnish: puola — small spool in a sewing machine
  • French: bobine — small spool in a sewing machine
  • French: canette — small spool in a sewing machine
  • German: Spule — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Hebrew: בוכייר — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Hebrew: בֻּכְיָר (bukhyár) — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Hindi: तकली (taklī) — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Irish: eiteán — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Irish: spóilín — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Japanese: ボビン (bobin) — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Korean: 보빈 (bobin) — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Macedonian: ка́лем (kálem) — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Iranian Persian: ماسورِه (mâsure) — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Polish: szpulka — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Portuguese: carretel — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Russian: шпу́лька (špúlʹka) — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Spanish: carrete — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Spanish: carreta — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Spanish: bobina — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Spanish: canilla — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Tagalog: busug-sudlan — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Tagalog: simpian — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Turkish: masura — small spool in a sewing machine
  • Ukrainian: шпу́лька (špúlʹka) — small spool in a sewing machine
Real reading context

bobbin in complete knowledge articles