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• spica
  spica

  noun

  spike.
• Spica
  Spica

  noun

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

spica

American  

[spahy-kuh] / ˈspaɪ kə /

noun

• spicae,
  plural
• spicas
  plural

1. spike.

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

3. Astronomy. Spica, a first-magnitude star in the constellation Virgo.

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Spica ¹ British  

/ ˈspiːkə /

noun

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

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spica ² British  

/ ˈspaɪkə /

noun

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

2. botany another word for spike 2

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Spica Scientific  

/ spī′kə /

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• spicae
  plural
• spicas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of spica

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin spīca literally, “ear of grain”; cf. spike ²

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spica Spica

“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 pins are then locked in each other's loops—the punctures and skin protected by lint or adhesive plaster,—and the whole is retained by lint and a spica bandage.

From A Manual of the Operations of Surgery For the Use of Senior Students, House Surgeons, and Junior Practitioners by Joseph Bell

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

In the south of France, whether the oil be distilled from the flowers of the Lavandula vera or Lavandula spica, it is named oil of lavender.

From The Art of Perfumery And Methods of Obtaining the Odors of Plants by George William Septimus Piesse

The most commonly known species are L. vera, L. spica and L stæchas.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 799, April 25, 1891 by Various

“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

Stargazers in the Western Hemisphere will be able to enjoy the sight of Venus in conjunction with Spica on Sept. 5, according to EarthSky.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 3, 2021

After arriving at Arcturus, go down in a straight line, or as Dr. Faherty said, “Spike down from it to the star Spica, which is this beautiful blue star, very bright.”

From New York Times ● Oct. 29, 2020

The planet travels across the heavens with the double star Spica, a first magnitude object similar in brightness to Mars — dim for the Washington area.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 4, 2017

Arcturus and Spica, and their companions, may be left for observation to a more convenient season, when, having risen higher, they can be studied to better advantage.

From Astronomy with an Opera-glass A Popular Introduction to the Study of the Starry Heavens with the Simplest of Optical Instruments by Garrett Putman Serviss

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