spica

[ spahy-kuh ]

/ ˈspaɪ kə /

Save This Word!

noun, plural spi·cae

[spahy-see], /ˈspaɪ si/, spi·cas for 1, 2.

spike².

a type of bandage in the shape of a figure eight, extending from an extremity to the trunk.

(initial capital letter)Astronomy. a first-magnitude star in the constellation Virgo.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of spica

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin spīca literally, ear of grain; cf. spike²

Words nearby spica

sphygmus, Sphynx, sphyrectomy, sphyrotomy, spic, spica, spica bandage, spicate, spiccato, spice, spiceberry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use spica in a sentence

How much brighter is an ordinary first-magnitude star, such as Aldebaran or Spica, than a star just visible to the naked eye?
A Text-Book of Astronomy|George C. Comstock
The specific name, spicant, is from the Latin spica, “a point.”
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
In the southeast you will recognize the quadrilateral of Corvus, with the remarkably white star Spica glittering east of it.
Astronomy with an Opera-glass|Garrett Putman Serviss
The figure-of-eight bandage is used on various parts, and is illustrated in the bandage called spica of the groin, Fig.
The Home Medical Library, Volume I (of VI)|Various

The faint star which our larger apertures show about 6' northeast of Spica is of the tenth magnitude.
Pleasures of the telescope|Garrett Serviss

British Dictionary definitions for spica (1 of 2)

spica

/ (ˈspaɪkə) /

noun plural -cae (-siː) or -cas

med a spiral bandage formed by a series of overlapping figure-of-eight turns

botany another word for spike 2 (def. 1)

Word Origin for spica

C15: from Latin: ear of corn

British Dictionary definitions for spica (2 of 2)

Spica

/ (ˈspiːkə) /

noun

the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. Distance: 260 light years

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

Scientific definitions for spica

Spica

[ spī′kə ]

A bright bluish-white binary star in the constellation Virgo, with an apparent magnitude of 0.96. Scientific name: Alpha Virginis.