spike
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spike (spīk)
noun
- a long, heavy nail
- a sharp-pointed part or projection, usually slender and of metal, as along the top of an iron fence, etc.
- any long, slender, pointed object, as the unbranched antler of a young deer
- any of a number of sharp or pointed metal projections on the soles, and often on the heels, of shoes used for baseball, golf, track, etc. to prevent slipping
- a pair of such shoes
- a high, very thin heel on a woman's shoe also spike heel
- ☆ a young mackerel not more than six inches long
- a transient wave or variation in potential difference that propagates along a nerve axon
- a graphic recording or tracing of this, as any of the jagged peaks in an electroencephalogram
- a sudden, rapid rise, as in blood pressure
Etymology: ME < ON spīkr, a nail, spike, or < MDu & MLowG spīker, both ult. < IE base *(s)p(h)ei-, sharp, pointed splinter > spit, spoke, L spica, ear of grain, spina, spine
transitive verb spiked, spiking spik′·ing
- to fasten or fit with or as with a spike or spikes
- to mark, pierce, cut, etc. with a spike or spikes, or impale on a spike
- to make (a cannon) unusable by driving a spike into the touchhole
- to cause to rise suddenly and rapidly
- to thwart, frustrate, or block (a scheme, etc.)
- ☆ Slang to add a substance, as a narcotic or other drug, to (a drink, food, etc.); specif., to add alcoholic liquor to (a drink)
- Baseball to injure with the spikes on one's shoes
- Football to throw (the football) to the ground, esp. in celebration of scoring a touchdown
- ☆ Volleyball to leap into the air while close to the net and smash (the ball) into the opponents' court
intransitive verb
hang up one's spikes
spike (spīk)
noun
- an ear of grain
- an unbranched flower cluster with stalkless flowers attached directly to the central axis
Etymology: ME spik < L spica: see spike
Related Forms:
- spiked adjective
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Alternate definitions:
spike
n.
Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Preposition: of
- flower: The short spikes of small pure white flowers are borne freely in late spring.
Object
- lawn: Before applying the fertilizer, spike the lawn with a fork or with a spiking machine and water the area thoroughly.
Adjective modifier
- centrotemporal: Abnormal neuroimaging in patients with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes.
Modifies a noun
- belay: A good spike belay can be found by scrambling some 20m further up.
Noun used with modifier
- diffraction: Because almost all reflecting telescopes produce diffraction spikes, many people are used to seeing them and don't consider them an aberration.
The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.
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MLA Style
"spike." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009
- Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
- <www.yourdictionary.com/spike>
APA Style
spike. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary
- Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/spike

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