skein

Short definition from Wiktionary

Noun

1. 1
   A quantity of yarn, thread, etc. put up together in an oblong shape, after it is taken from the reel. A skein of cotton yarn is formed by eighty turns of the thread around a fifty-four inch reel.
2. 2
   A web, a weave, a tangle.
3. 3
   The membrane of a fish ovary.
4. 4
   A metallic strengthening band or thimble on the wooden arm of an axle.
5. 5
   A group of wild fowl (e.g. geese, goslings) when they are in flight.
6. 6
   A winning streak.
7. 7
   A series created by a web (major broadcasting network).

Verb

1. 1
   To wind or weave into a skein.