spile

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spaɪl/

Etymology 1

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Dutch or (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Low German spile (“splinter, peg”), ultimately from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Germanic *spīlaz (“splinter, peg”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Indo-European *spēy- (“prickle, pointed stick”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian spyl, German Speil (“chip, splinter, gore, wedge”), Danish spile, Dutch spijl.

Noun

spile (plural spiles)

1. (obsolete or dialectal) A splinter.
2. A spigot or plug used to stop the hole in a barrel or cask.
   • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet Chapter 4

     So I felt my way down the passage back to the vault, and recked not of the darkness, nor of Blackbeard and his crew, if only I could lay my lips to liquor. Thus I groped about the barrels till near the top of the stack my hand struck on the spile of a keg, and drawing it, I got my mouth to the hold.

3. (US) A spout inserted in a maple (or other tree) to draw off sap.

Verb

1. To plug (a hole) with a spile.
2. To draw off (a liquid) using a spile.
3. To provide (a barrel, tree etc.) with a spile.

Etymology 2

Alteration of pile, after Etymology 1, above.

Noun

spile (plural spiles)

1. A pile; a post or girder.
   • 1975, Catherine Aird, Slight Mourning‎^[1]:

     […] we'd settled that I’d pick up some spiles from Greg Fitch first thing on Monday morning and get something done about that fence.

     .

Verb

1. (transitive) To support by means of spiles.
2. (transitive) To drive piles into.

Etymology 3

Alteration of spoil.

Verb

1. (US, dialect, transitive, intransitive) spoil.

Anagrams

• Elpis, Lipes, Peils, Piels, Piles, Siple, piles, plies, pliés, slipe, spiel

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Danish

Verb

spile (imperative spil, infinitive at spile, present tense spiler, past tense spilede, perfect tense har spilet)

1. To dilate.

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Middle English

Alternative forms

• spil, spyl

Etymology

From spilen. Alternatively from a Old English *spil, from Proto-Germanic *spilą. Compare Middle High German spiel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spiːl/, /spil/

Noun

spile

1. (rare) amusement, entertainment, celebration

References

• “spī̆le (n.(2))”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-05-20.