dyke

[ dahyk ]

/ daɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dyke ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, verb, dyked, dyk·ing.

dike¹.

Nearby words

dyersburg, dyestuff, dyewood, dyfed, dying, dyke, dykon, dylan, dylan, bob, dymaxion, dyn

Definition for dyke (2 of 3)

dyke

or dike

[ dahyk ]

/ daɪk /

noun Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.

a contemptuous term used to refer to a lesbian.

Origin of dyke

1940–45; earlier in form bulldike (with a variant bulldagger); of obscure origin; claimed to be a shortening of morphodyke (variant of morphodite, a reshaping of hermaphrodite), though morphodyke is more likely a blend of morphodite and a pre-existing dyke; other hypothesized connections, such as with diked out or dike “ditch,” are dubious on semantic grounds

Related forms

dyk·ey, adjective, dyk·i·er, dyk·i·est.

Usage note

The terms dyke and bull dyke are used with disparaging intent and are perceived as insulting. However, they have been adopted as positive terms of self-reference by young or radical lesbians and in the academic community. In the mainstream homosexual community, gay and lesbian remain the terms of choice.

Definition for dyke (3 of 3)

dike

or dyke

[ dahyk ]

/ daɪk /

noun

an embankment for controlling or holding back the waters of the sea or a river: They built a temporary dike of sandbags to keep the river from flooding the town.

a ditch.

a bank of earth formed of material being excavated.

a causeway.

British Dialect. a low wall or fence, especially of earth or stone, for dividing or enclosing land.

an obstacle; barrier.

Geology.

a long, narrow, cross-cutting mass of igneous rock intruded into a fissure in older rock.
a similar mass of rock composed of other kinds of material, as sandstone.

Australian Slang. a urinal.

verb (used with object), diked, dik·ing.

to furnish or drain with a dike.

to enclose, restrain, or protect by a dike: to dike a tract of land.

Origin of dike

before 900; Middle English dik(e), Old English dīc < Old Norse dīki; akin to ditch

Related forms

dik·er, nounun·diked, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for dyke (1 of 4)

dyke

dike

/ (daɪk) /

noun

an embankment constructed to prevent flooding, keep out the sea, etc

a ditch or watercourse

a bank made of earth excavated for and placed alongside a ditch

Scot a wall, esp a dry-stone wall

a barrier or obstruction

a vertical or near-vertical wall-like body of igneous rock intruded into cracks in older rock

Australian and NZ informal

a lavatory
(as modifier)a dyke roll

verb

civil engineering an embankment or wall built to confine a river to a particular course

(tr) to protect, enclose, or drain (land) with a dyke

Word Origin for dyke

C13: modification of Old English dic ditch; compare Old Norse dīki ditch

British Dictionary definitions for dyke (2 of 4)

dyke

dike

/ (daɪk) /

noun

slang a lesbian

Word Origin for dyke

C20: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for dyke (3 of 4)

Dyke

/ (dɑɪk) /

noun

Greg (ory). born 1947, British television executive; director-general of the BBC (2000–04)

British Dictionary definitions for dyke (4 of 4)

dike

/ (daɪk) /

noun, verb

a variant spelling of dyke 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Science definitions for dyke

dike

[ dīk ]

A body of igneous rock that cuts across the structure of adjoining rock, usually as a result of the intrusion of magma. Dikes are often of a different composition from the rock they cut across. They are usually on the order of centimeters to meters across and up to tens of kilometers long. See illustration at batholith.

An embankment of earth and rock built to prevent floods or to hold irrigation water in for agricultural purposes.