spica

[ spahy-kuh ]
/ ˈspaɪ kə /

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.

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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, spice islands
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.