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.

Words nearby spica

sphygmus, sphynx, sphyrectomy, sphyrotomy, spic, spica, spica bandage, spicate, spiccato, spice, spice islands

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

But she is supposed to be a winged goddess who holds up in her right hand an ear of wheat, and that is what Spica means.
Earth and Sky Every Child Should Know|Julia Ellen Rogers
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
These constellations contain the following stars of the first magnitude—Aldebaran, Antares, and Spica.
Astronomical Myths|John F. Blake
Spica represents the ear of corn held in the Virgin's left hand.
A Field Book of the Stars|William Tyler Olcott

Vogel, in 1889, discovered this in the case of Spica (α Virginis), whose period is 4d.
History of Astronomy|George Forbes

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

Science 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.