Coil
early 16th century (as a verb): from Old French coillir, from Latin colligere ‘gather together’ (see collect1).
wiktionary
From Middle English coilen, from Old French coillir, cuillir(“to gather, pluck, pick, cull”) (modern French cueillir), from Latin colligō(“to gather together”), past participle collectus, from com-(“together”) + legō(“to gather”); compare legend. Doublet of cull.
Origin unknown.
etymonline
coil (v.)
1610s, "to wind, gather into rings one above the other" (trans.), from French coillir "to gather, pick," from Latin colligere "to gather together" from assimilated form of com "together" (see co-) + legere "to gather," from PIE root *leg- (1) "to collect, gather." Intransitive sense "to form rings or spirals" is by 1798. Related: Coiled; coiling.
coil (n.)
1620s, "length of rope or cable," a specialized nautical sense from coil (v.). General sense "ring or series of rings in which a pliant body is wound" is from 1660s; hence, such a form forced onto a non-pliant body (1826). Specific sense "electrical conductor wound in a coil" is from 1849. Related: Coils.
