spike
1[ spahyk ]
/ spaɪk /
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noun
verb (used with object), spiked, spik·ing.
verb (used without object), spiked, spik·ing.
to rise or increase sharply (often followed by up): Interest rates spiked up last week.
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Idioms for spike
spike someone's guns. gun1 (def. 16).
Origin of spike
1First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English spik(e) (noun), from Old Norse spīkr “nail”; akin to Old Norse spīk, Middle Low German spīker “nail”
OTHER WORDS FROM spike
spikelike, adjectiveWords nearby spike
Spigelius' line, Spigelius' lobe, spignel, spigot, spik, spike, spikedace, spike heath, spike heel, spike lavender, spikelet
Definition for spike (2 of 2)
spike2
[ spahyk ]
/ spaɪk /
noun
an ear, as of wheat or other grain.
Botany. an inflorescence in which the flowers are without a stalk, or apparently so, along an elongated, unbranched axis.
Origin of spike
21350–1400; Middle English; probably special use of spike1, influenced by Latin spīca ear of grain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for spike
British Dictionary definitions for spike (1 of 2)
spike1
/ (spaɪk) /
noun
verb (mainly tr)
Word Origin for spike
C13 spyk; related to Old English spīcing nail, Old Norse spīk splinter, Middle Low German spīker spike, Norwegian spīk spoke ², Latin spīca sharp point; see spike ²
British Dictionary definitions for spike (2 of 2)
spike2
/ (spaɪk) /
noun botany
an inflorescence consisting of a raceme of sessile flowers, as in the gladiolus and sedges
an ear of wheat, barley, or any other grass that has sessile spikelets
Word Origin for spike
C14: from Latin spīca ear of corn
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Medical definitions for spike
spike
[ spīk ]
n.
A brief electrical event of 3 to 25 milliseconds that gives the appearance in the electroencephalogram of a rising and falling vertical line.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for spike
spike
[ spīk ]
An elongated indeterminate inflorescence in which the flowers are attached directly to a common stem, rather than borne on individual stalks arising from the stem. The gladiolus produces spikes. The distinctive spikes of grasses such as wheat or barley are known as spikelets. See illustration at inflorescence.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.