spica

[spahy-kuh]

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.

Origin of spica

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

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

Examples from the Web for spica

Historical Examples of spica

Spica represents the ear of corn held in the Virgin's left hand.
A Field Book of the Stars
William Tyler Olcott
The brightest star in this region of the sky is Spica, in Virgo.
A Field Book of the Stars
William Tyler Olcott
Its center lies about 50 south of Spica in Virgo and below the tail of Hydra.
Astronomy for Young Folks
Isabel Martin Lewis
Spike lavender or French lavender; also the male lavender, spica nardi, or pseudo-nardus of old writers.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I
Arnold Cooley
When it is at 3 it is at lower culmination, and the star Spica is on the meridian.
A Text-Book of Astronomy
George C. Comstock

British Dictionary definitions for spica

spica

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

Spica

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

Word Origin and History for spica

Spica

1728, bright star in constellation Virgo, from Latin, literally "ear of grain," corresponding to Greek stakhys (see spike (n.1)).

spica in Science

Spica

[spī′kə]

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