spike

See also Spike

English

Etymology

Latin spīca "ear of grain"

Pronunciation

• IPA: /spaɪk/
• Rhymes: -aɪk

Noun

spike (plural spikes)

1. A sort of very large nail; also, a piece of pointed iron set with points upward or outward.
2. Anything resembling such a nail in shape.
3. An ear of grain.
4. (botany) A kind of inflorescence in which sessile flowers are arranged on an unbranched elongated axis.
5. (in plural spikes; informal) Running shoes with spikes in the soles.
6. A sharp peak in a graph.
7. (volleyball) 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.
8. (zoology) An adolescent male deer.
9. a surge in power.
10. (slang) The casual ward of a workhouse.
    • 1933: George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, p. 139.

      "Dere's tay spikes, and cocoa spikes, and skilly spikes."

Synonyms

• (botany: kind of inflorescence): catkin, raceme, cluster, corymb, umbel

Translations

very large nail

Danish: spiger, nagle Finnish: piikki (fi) German: Nagel (de) m., Spitze (de) f. Italian: chiodo (it) m., lancia (it) f.

Japanese: 針 (ja) (hari) Romanian: țăruș (ro) m., piron (ro) n. Russian: штырь (ru) (štyr') m., костыль (ru) (kostýl') f., нагель (ru) (nágel) m. Spanish: clavo (es) m., pincho (es) m.

anything resembling like a nail in shape

Danish: spids (da), pig (da) Finnish: piikki (fi) German: Spitze (de) f., Stachel (de) m. Italian: punta (it) f., arpione (it) m.

Japanese: 針 (ja) (hari) Romanian: țăruș (ro) m., piron (ro) n. Russian: штырь m., шпиль (špil') m., шип (šyp) m. Spanish: pincho (es) m., punta (es) f.

ear of grain

Danish: aks (da) n. Esperanto: spiko (eo) French: épi (fr) m. German: Ähre (de) f., Getreideähre (de) f. Italian: spiga (it) f.

Japanese: 穂 (ja) (ho) Latin: spica (la) Romanian: spic (ro) Spanish: espiga (es) f. Volapük: spig (vo)

botany: kind of inflorescence

Danish: aks (da) n. Finnish: tähkä (fi)

Italian: spiga (it) f., amento (it) m. Japanese: 穂状花序 (ja) (hojō-kajo)

informal: running shoes with spikes in the soles

Danish: pigsko French: crampons (fr) m. pl.

Italian: scarpa chiodata (it) Japanese: スパイク靴 (ja) (supaiku-gutsu)

sharp peak in a graph

Danish: spids (da), top (da) Italian: picco (it) m.

Japanese: 針 (ja) (hari) Spanish: pico (es) m.

volleyball

Italian: schiacciata (it) f. Japanese: スパイク (ja) (supaiku)

Russian: атакa f., атакующий удар m., нападающий удар m., удар m.

zoology: an adolescent male deer

Italian: cerbiatto (it) m.

Japanese: 牡鹿 (ja) (ojika)

Verb

spike (third-person singular simple present spikes, present participle spiking, simple past and past participle spiked)

1. To covertly put alcohol or another intoxicating substance in a drink that previously did not contain such substances.
2. To add a small amount of one substance to another.

   The water sample to be tested has been spiked with arsenic, antimony, mercury, and lead in quantities commonly found in industrial effluents.

3. (volleyball) To attack from, usually, above the height of the net with the intent to send the ball straight to the floor of the opponent or off the hands of the opposing block.
4. (military) To render (a gun) unusable by driving a metal spike into its touch hole.

   He jumped down, wrenched the hammer from the armourer’s hand, and seizing a nail from the bag, in a few moments he had spiked the gun. — Frederick Marryat, "Peter Simple", 1834

5. (journalism) To decide not to publish or make public.
   • October 14, 2002, Jonathan Sale, The Guardian, Edward VIII news blackout.

     Instead, the "Beaver" declared he would spike the story about Wallis Simpson and make sure his fellow media moguls sat on it too.

Synonyms

• (volleyball): attack, hit

Translations

volleyball

Russian: атаковать, нападать, ударить

Anagrams

• kepis
• kipes
• pikes