spica
noun
spica
American
[spahy-kuh]
/ ˈspaɪ kə /
noun
-
spicae,
plural
-
spicas
plural
-
a type of bandage in the shape of a figure eight, extending from an extremity to the trunk.
-
Astronomy. Spica, a first-magnitude star in the constellation Virgo.
spica
1
British
/ ˈspaɪkə /
noun
-
med a spiral bandage formed by a series of overlapping figure-of-eight turns
-
botany another word for spike 2
Spica
2
British
/ ˈspiːkə /
noun
Spica
Scientific
/ spī′kə /
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of spica
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin spīca literally, “ear of grain”; cf. spike 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“I like it because it’s tasty, and mostly because it’s good,” the 8-year-old said, though he rated a new roll with spica tuna he recently tried a “negative million.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
The most commonly known species are L. vera, L. spica and L stæchas.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 799, April 25, 1891 by Various
It is also the botanical name of the Lavandula spica, or spikenard, from which a white, aromatic and highly inflammable oil is distilled, called huile d’aspic.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7 "Arundel, Thomas" to "Athens" by Various
Aspic oil, from the flowers of Lavandula spica, obtained from France and Spain, and extensively employed in perfuming household and cheap toilet soaps; also frequently found as an adulterant in lavender oil.
From The Handbook of Soap Manufacture by W. H. Simmons
He poured a little water from his carafe into a saucer, made a compress of lint, fastened it over the injured eye, and secured the whole with a spica bandage, secundum artem.
From Round the Red Lamp by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
“We can tell you it’s a tanker, it’s a fishing vessel, it’s a speedboat, it’s a sailing boat,” said Zack Spica, a University of Michigan assistant professor who co-founded Lumetec, which is selling the technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
That’s a star named Spica that belongs to the Virgo constellation.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 3, 2021
Two more stars you and your kids can find, with the help of the Big Dipper, are Arcturus and Spica.
From New York Times ● Oct. 29, 2020
Jupiter — hanging out near the star Spica in the constellation Virgo — rises in the east at about 1 a.m. now.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 31, 2016
The faint star which our larger apertures show about 6' northeast of Spica is of the tenth magnitude.
From Pleasures of the telescope An Illustrated Guide for Amateur Astronomers and a Popular Description of the Chief Wonders of the Heavens for General Readers by Garrett Putman Serviss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
