spindle

noun

1. 1

   any holding device consisting of a rigid, sharp-pointed object

   the spike pierced the receipts and held them in order

2. 2

   a stick or pin used to twist the yarn in spinning

3. 3

   any of various rotating shafts that serve as axes for larger rotating parts

4. 4

   a piece of wood that has been turned on a lathe; used as a baluster, chair leg, etc.

5. 5

   (biology) tiny fibers that are seen in cell division; the fibers radiate from two poles and meet at the equator in the middle

   chromosomes are distributed by spindles in mitosis and meiosis