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Spin vs Sail - What's the difference?

spin | sail | Related terms |

As verbs the difference between spin and sail

is that spin is to rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction while sail is to be impelled or driven forward by the action of wind upon sails, as a ship on water; to be impelled on a body of water by steam or other power.

As nouns the difference between spin and sail

is that spin is circular motion while sail is a piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged such that it causes the wind to drive the boat along. The sail may be attached to the boat via a combination of mast, spars and ropes.

As an adjective spin

is describing a spin bowler, or his style of bowling.

spin

English

Verb

  • (ergative) To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction.
  • I spun myself around a few times.
    Spin the ball on the floor.
    The Earth spins with a period of one day.
    She spun around and gave him a big smile.
  • * Longfellow
  • Round about him spun the landscape, / Sky and forest reeled together.
  • To make yarn by twisting and winding fibers together.
  • They spin the cotton into thread.
  • * Prior
  • They neither know to spin , nor care to toil.
  • To present, describe, or interpret, or to introduce a bias or slant so as to give something a favorable or advantageous appearance.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2006, date=February 9, title=The Politics of Science, work=The Washington Post citation
  • , passage=In every administration there will be spokesmen and public affairs officers who try to spin' the news to make the president look good. But this administration is trying to ' spin scientific data and muzzle scientists toward that end.}}
  • (cricket, of a bowler) To make the ball move sideways when it bounces on the pitch.
  • (cricket, of a ball) To move sideways when bouncing.
  • (cooking) To form into thin strips or ribbons, as with sugar
  • To form (a web, a cocoon, silk, etc.) from threads produced by the extrusion of a viscid, transparent liquid, which hardens on coming into contact with the air; said of the spider, the silkworm, etc.
  • To shape, as malleable sheet metal, into a hollow form, by bending or buckling it by pressing against it with a smooth hand tool or roller while the metal revolves, as in a lathe.
  • To move swiftly.
  • to spin along the road in a carriage, on a bicycle, etc.
  • To stream or issue in a thread or a small current or jet.
  • Blood spins from a vein.
    (Shakespeare)
  • To twist (hay) into ropes for convenient carriage on an expedition.
  • (computing, programming, intransitive) To wait in a loop until some condition becomes true.
  • Synonyms

    * (give something a favorable appearance) whitewash, sugarcoat, put lipstick on, gild, blandish, dress up

    Hypernyms

    * revolve * rotate * turn

    Derived terms

    * respin * spin one's wheels * spin out * spinster

    See also

    * turn around

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Circular motion.
  • The car went into a spin .
    The skaters demonstrated their spins .
    ''He put some spin on the cue ball.
    One of the planet's moons has a slower spin than the others.
  • (physics) A quantum angular momentum associated with subatomic particles, which also creates a magnetic moment.
  • A favourable comment or interpretation intended to bias opinion on an otherwise unpleasant situation.
  • (sports) Rotation of the ball as it flies through the air; sideways movement of the ball as it bounces.
  • A condition of flight where a stalled aircraft is simultaneously pitching, yawing and rolling in a spinning motion.
  • A brief trip by vehicle.
  • A bundle of spun material; a mass of strands and filaments.
  • * 1913 , DH Lawrence,
  • She left him alone, and went to get Annie a spin of toffee.

    Derived terms

    * backspin * Biellmann spin * camel spin * layback spin * media spin * parallel spin * sidespin * sit spin * spin doctor * take for a spin * topspin * upright spin

    Adjective

    (-)
  • (cricket) Describing a spin bowler, or his style of bowling.
  • sail

    English

    (wikipedia sail)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) 'to cut'. More at saw.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (nautical) A piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged such that it causes the wind to drive the boat along. The sail may be attached to the boat via a combination of mast, spars and ropes.
  • * : Scene 1: 496-497
  • When we have laugh'd to see the sails conceive / And grow big-bellied with the wanton wind;
  • (uncountable) The power harnessed by a sail or sails, or the use this power for travel or transport.
  • A trip in a boat, especially a sailboat.
  • Let's go for a sail .
  • (dated) A sailing vessel; a vessel of any kind; a craft. Plural sail .
  • Twenty sail were in sight.
  • The blade of a windmill.
  • A tower-like structure found on the dorsal (topside) surface of submarines.
  • The floating organ of siphonophores, such as the Portuguese man-of-war.
  • (fishing) A sailfish.
  • We caught three sails today.
  • (paleontology) an outward projection of the
  • Anything resembling a sail, such as a wing.
  • * Spenser
  • Like an eagle soaring / To weather his broad sails .
    Hyponyms
    * See also
    Derived terms
    * balloon sail * by sail * drag sail * dragon sail * point of sail * sailback * sailboard * sailboat * sailcloth * sailer * sailfish * sailing * studding sail * set sail * take the wind out of someone's sails * topsail * working sail

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) , cognate to earlier Middle Low German segelen and its descendant Low German sailen.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To be impelled or driven forward by the action of wind upon sails, as a ship on water; to be impelled on a body of water by steam or other power.
  • To move through or on the water; to swim, as a fish or a waterfowl.
  • To ride in a boat, especially a sailboat.
  • To set sail; to begin a voyage.
  • We sail for Australia tomorrow.
  • To move briskly and gracefully through the air.
  • * Shakespeare
  • As is a winged messenger of heaven, / When he bestrides the lazy pacing clouds, / And sails upon the bosom of the air.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=April 15 , author=Saj Chowdhury , title=Norwich 2 - 1 Nott'm Forest , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=A hopeful ball from Forest right-back Brendan Moloney to the left edge of the area was met first by Ruddy but his attempted clearance rebounded off Tyson's leg and sailed in.}}
  • To move briskly.
  • Derived terms
    * sail close to the wind