spike en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /spaɪk/
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Middle English spike, spyke, spik, from Old Norse spík (“spike, sprig”), from Proto-Germanic *spīkō (“stick, splinter, point”), from Proto-Indo-European *spey- (“to be pointed; sharp point, stick”). Cognate with Icelandic spík (“spike”), Swedish spik (“spike, nail”), Dutch spijker (“nail”), Old English spīcing (“spike”), and Latin spīca (“ear of corn”), which may have influenced some senses.
Meanings
- A sort of very large nail.
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A piece of pointed metal etc. set with points upward or outward.
The trap was lined with spikes.
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(broadly) Anything resembling such a nail in shape.
He vvears on his head the Corona Radiata, vvhich at that time vvas another type of his Divinity. The ſpikes that ſhoot out from the crovvn vvere to repreſent the rays of the Sun.
a. 1720 (date written), [Joseph Addison], “Dialogue II”, in Dialogues upon the Usefulness of Ancient Medals. […], [London]: [s.n.], published 1726, →OCLC, page 111:
- An ear of corn or grain.
- A kind of inflorescence in which sessile flowers are arranged on an unbranched elongated axis.
- (in-plural, informal) A running shoe with spikes in the sole to provide grip.
- A sharp peak in a graph.
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A surge in power or in the price of a commodity, etc.; any sudden and brief change that would be represented by a sharp peak on a graph.
As well as the boom in off-peak leisure numbers, "there has been a big spike in passenger assistance - that's really taken off as well", he continues. "We're probably victims of our own success because we promote this more than we ever used to. We promote how accessible the railways are. I think that this area has more than doubled from pre-COVID levels.
2023 November 1, Nick Brodrick talks to Jason Cocker, “A Station that ‘Oozes’ Customer Service …”, in RAIL, number 995, pages 52-53:If the border were shut down, consumers would most likely see an immediate spike in food prices, and supplies of fresh food could dwindle from grocery store shelves in a matter of days.
2019 April 1, Ana Swanson, “Avocado shortages and price spikes: How Trump’s border closing would hit U.S.”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
- The rod-like protrusion from a woman's high-heeled shoe that elevates the heel.
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A long nail for storing papers by skewering them; (by extension) the metaphorical place where rejected newspaper articles are sent.
Later I was entrusted with writing the letters to the editor, because nobody else ever wrote to our paper. The editor, Eric Lewis, had a slash and burn style of editing that left its mark on me forever. Most of my stories ended up on the spike.
2005, David Bouchier, Writer at Work: Reflections on the Art and Business of Writing, iUniverse, →ISBN:Assuming that word of the death reached the Times's newsroom at all, it would have taken little more than one bleary-eyed night editor who had heard neither of Ventris nor of linear B for the obituary to have been consigned to the spike.
2013, Margalit Fox, Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code and the Uncovering of a Lost Civilisation, Profile Books, →ISBN:It was all true, it appeared. He sat down and wrote it, the editor read it and said: ' We don't use stories like this in this newspaper.' So the story ended up on the spike, reinforcing the principle that wife-swapping, unlike justice, must not be seen to be done.
1974, Books and Bookmen:
- An attack from, usually, above the height of the net performed with the intent to send the ball straight to the floor of the opponent or off the hands of the opposing block.
- An adolescent male deer.
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(historical, slang) The casual ward of a workhouse.
Dere's tay spikes, and cocoa spikes, and skilly spikes.
1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz […], →OCLC, page 189:
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Spike lavender.
oil of spike
- Synonym of endpin.
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A mark indicating where a prop or other item should be placed on stage.
Sometimes actors set props on the spikes, or sometimes a deckhand will do it, depending on the action of the play.
2020, John Ramsey Holloway, Zachary Stribling, Illustrated Theatre Production Guide, page 15:
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A small project that uses the simplest possible program to explore potential solutions.
An architectural spike is used to prove that a specific technical approach works. Teams will often do an architectural spike when they have a few different options for designing a specific technical solution, or if they don't know if a certain approach will work.
2017, Andrew Stellman, Jennifer Greene, Head First Agile […] , O'Reilly Media, →ISBN:
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(qualifier:Anglicanism) An excessively high church Anglican.
Here we see an Anglo-Catholic spike cocking a snook at authority, getting away with it, and probably exercising an important liturgical and sacramental ministry – at least by his own lights – to some of the troops on the Western Front.
2016 November 14, Robert Beaken, “Onward, Christian Soldiers”, in New Directions:
- a structure projecting from the surface of an enveloped virus, which binds to host cells.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| spikes | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
spike bug · spike oil · spikery · spike train · marling spike · spike attack · aerospike · dogspike · rail spike · despike · spikenail · spike-cap · antispike · superspike · spiker · spike fiddle · spikeproof · spike-in · prespike · dog spike · spike heel · spikenard · nanospike · marline spike · railroad spike · butt spike · spike plank · minispike · spike-primrose · microspike · handspike · unspike · interspike · spignel · spikebill · spike team · spike heath · spike moss · spikefish · oil of spike · multispike · yellowspike orchid · backspike · marlin spike · spikeless · spikelike · spikewise · liberty spike · spikehorn · spiketail · marlinspike · spike poison · chickenspike · spike lute · intraspike · golden spike · voltage spike · spike protein · traffic spikes · spikegrass · spike strip · road spikes · polyspike · spike addition · spike camp · spikelet · track spike
Synonyms
Translations (191)
da pig (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · ny kukwera (botany: kind of inflorescence) · nb aks (ear of grain — see also ear) · da nagle (very large nail) · da top (sharp peak in a graph) · id duri (botany: kind of inflorescence) · io spiko (botany: kind of inflorescence) · bg клин (very large nail) · de Nadel (sharp peak in a graph) · nl aar (ear of grain — see also ear) · de Nagel (very large nail) · it schiacciata (volleyball) · da aks (botany: kind of inflorescence) · ga dias (botany: kind of inflorescence) · bg шпайкове (informal: running shoes with spikes in the soles) · sq Pykë (very large nail) · fi nuori uroshirvi (zoology: an adolescent male deer) · ga spíce (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · la clavus (very large nail) · de Spitze (sharp peak in a graph) · ru напада́ющий уда́р (volleyball) · fi iskulyönti (volleyball) · eo spiko (ear of grain — see also ear) · ru скачо́к (sharp peak in a graph) · ru шип (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · cs smeč (volleyball) · it amento (ear of grain — see also ear) · tr smaç (volleyball) · bxd nɛ̠̃⁵⁵ (ear of grain — see also ear) · it picco (sharp peak in a graph) · pl kolec (very large nail) · fi piikkikenkä (informal: running shoes with spikes in the soles) · it scarpa chiodata (informal: running shoes with spikes in the soles) · oc espic (ear of grain — see also ear) · mi taratara (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · de Schmetterball (volleyball) · lo ເປັນຮວງ (botany: kind of inflorescence) · fi tähkä (botany: kind of inflorescence) · ba башаҡ (ear of grain — see also ear) · dlm spaica (ear of grain — see also ear) · ru ата́ка (volleyball) · ja 穂 (ear of grain — see also ear) · rm speia (ear of grain — see also ear) · ru шипо́вки (informal: running shoes with spikes in the soles) · it punta (very large nail) · fi kiskonaula (very large nail) · ota اكسر (very large nail) · fr pique (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · pt pitão (informal: running shoes with spikes in the soles) · fr pointe (very large nail) · da pigsko (informal: running shoes with spikes in the soles) · ru атаку́ющий уда́р (volleyball) · fi piikki (sharp peak in a graph) · ru косты́ль (very large nail) · da spiger (very large nail) · pt espinho (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · ja 針 (very large nail) · it cerbiatto (zoology: an adolescent male deer) · rm spigia (ear of grain — see also ear) · cs bodec (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · vo spig (ear of grain — see also ear) · it infiorescenza a spiga (botany: kind of inflorescence) · it spunzone (very large nail) · sc ipiga (ear of grain — see also ear) · sc ispiga (ear of grain — see also ear) · ja スパイク (volleyball) · nb nagle (very large nail) · es espiga (ear of grain — see also ear) · da aks (ear of grain — see also ear) · tl barog (volleyball) · ga dias (ear of grain — see also ear) · sh клин (very large nail) · nl aar (botany: kind of inflorescence) · ca espiga (ear of grain — see also ear) · bg забивка (volleyball) · ru ко́лос (ear of grain — see also ear) · de Spitze (very large nail) · de Ähre (botany: kind of inflorescence) · es puncha (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · ja 針 (sharp peak in a graph) · ro spic (ear of grain — see also ear) · tr ekser (very large nail) · so kororka (botany: kind of inflorescence) · pl korek (informal: running shoes with spikes in the soles) · eo spiko (botany: kind of inflorescence) · ka წვეტი (sharp peak in a graph) · nl stekel (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · es púa (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · cs pík (sharp peak in a graph) · de Getreideähre (ear of grain — see also ear) · hi कीला (very large nail) · da spids (sharp peak in a graph) · ty tara (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · sc ispica (ear of grain — see also ear) · ga spíce (very large nail) · bg шип (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · nb aks (botany: kind of inflorescence) · ja 穂状花序 (botany: kind of inflorescence) · it arpione (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · roa-opt espiga (ear of grain — see also ear) · ru уда́р (volleyball) · mi rorohū (surge in power) · cs špice (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · fi tähkä (ear of grain — see also ear) · it spiga (botany: kind of inflorescence) · da spids (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · it spiga (ear of grain — see also ear) · fur spi (ear of grain — see also ear) · fr clou (very large nail) · es clavo (very large nail) · fr pic (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · ro țăruș (very large nail) · fi urosvasa (zoology: an adolescent male deer) · bg клас (ear of grain — see also ear) · it amento (botany: kind of inflorescence) · pl kolec (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · ja スパイク靴 (informal: running shoes with spikes in the soles) · fr pieu (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · cs prudké zvýšení (sharp peak in a graph) · ar سنبلة (ear of grain — see also ear) · ru штырь (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · fr épi (ear of grain — see also ear) · pl kłos (botany: kind of inflorescence) · cs tretra (informal: running shoes with spikes in the soles) · ru клин (very large nail) · rup schic (ear of grain — see also ear) · io spiko (ear of grain — see also ear) · ro piron (very large nail) · nb spiss (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · he פרץ (sharp peak in a graph) · ja 牡鹿 (zoology: an adolescent male deer) · et tähk (botany: kind of inflorescence) · it chiodo (very large nail) · pt cortada (volleyball) · nb piggsko (informal: running shoes with spikes in the soles) · sq Kungj (gheg) (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · haw kākala (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · sc spiga (ear of grain — see also ear) · cs prudký nárůst (sharp peak in a graph) · es espiga (botany: kind of inflorescence) · mi hiko rorohū (surge in power) · cs hřeb (very large nail) · nb pigg (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · pt espinho (very large nail) · ro piron (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · ru шпиль (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · it spuntone (very large nail) · pl kłos (ear of grain — see also ear) · cs hrot (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · ca urpa (very large nail) · rm spia (ear of grain — see also ear) · ru остриё (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · ka წვეტი (ear of grain — see also ear) · fr crampons (informal: running shoes with spikes in the soles) · ru ко́лос (botany: kind of inflorescence) · es espiga (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · mi tara (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · es puya (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · nrn gadd (very large nail) · es pincho (very large nail) · rup schicã (ear of grain — see also ear) · de Spitze (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · pt cravo (very large nail) · es punta (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · sv ax (ear of grain — see also ear) · de Stachel (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · it punta (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · haw kala (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · cs klas (botany: kind of inflorescence) · de Ähre (ear of grain — see also ear) · ang spīcing (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · bg пик (sharp peak in a graph) · sv ax (botany: kind of inflorescence) · ru штырь (very large nail) · cs klas (ear of grain — see also ear) · it lancia (very large nail) · la spica (ear of grain — see also ear) · el στάχυ (ear of grain — see also ear) · cs jelínek (zoology: an adolescent male deer) · ga spíce (sharp peak in a graph) · es pincho (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · es pico (sharp peak in a graph) · pam barug (volleyball) · ja 針 (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · sq Spirrë (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · cmn 穗 (ear of grain — see also ear) · ru на́гель (very large nail) · fi piikki (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · ro țăruș (anything resembling such a nail in shape) · pt espiga (ear of grain — see also ear) · fi piikki (very large nail)