Spike \Spike\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spiked; p. pr. & vb. n.
Spiking.]
1. To fasten with spikes, or long, large nails; as, to spike
down planks.
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2. To set or furnish with spikes.
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3. To fix on a spike. [R.] --Young.
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4. To stop the vent of (a gun or cannon) by driving a spike
nail, or the like into it.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Spike \Spike\, n. [Akin to LG. spiker, spieker, a large nail, D.
spijker, Sw. spik, Dan. spiger, Icel. sp[imac]k; all perhaps
from L. spica a point, an ear of grain; but in the sense of
nail more likely akin to E. spoke of a wheel. Cf. Spine.]
1. A sort of very large nail; also, a piece of pointed iron
set with points upward or outward.
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2. Anything resembling such a nail in shape.
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He wears on his head the corona radiata . . .; the
spikes that shoot out represent the rays of the sun.
--Addison.
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3. An ear of corn or grain.
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4. (Bot.) A kind of flower cluster in which sessile flowers
are arranged on an unbranched elongated axis.
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Spike grass (Bot.), either of two tall perennial American
grasses ({Uniola paniculata, and Uniola latifolia)
having broad leaves and large flattened spikelets.
Spike rush. (Bot.) See under Rush.
Spike shell (Zool.), any pteropod of the genus Styliola
having a slender conical shell.
Spike team, three horses, or a horse and a yoke of oxen,
harnessed together, a horse leading the oxen or the span.
[U.S.]
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Spike \Spike\, n. [Cf. G. spieke, L. spica an ear of grain. See
Spikenard.] (Bot.)
Spike lavender. See Lavender.
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Oil of spike (Chem.), a colorless or yellowish aromatic oil
extracted from the European broad-leaved lavender, or
aspic ({Lavendula Spica), used in artist's varnish and in
veterinary medicine. It is often adulterated with oil of
turpentine, which it much resembles.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
spike
n 1: a transient variation in voltage or current
2: sports equipment consisting of a sharp point on the sole of
a shoe worn by athletes; "spikes provide greater traction"
3: fruiting spike of a cereal plant especially corn [syn: ear,
capitulum]
4: (botany) an indeterminate inflorescence bearing sessile
flowers on an unbranched axis
5: a sharp rise followed by a sharp decline; "the seismograph
showed a sharp spike in response to the temblor"
6: a sharp-pointed projection along the top of a fence or wall
7: a long sharp-pointed implement (wood or metal)
8: any holding device consisting of a long sharp-pointed object
9: a long metal nail
v 1: stand in the way of
2: pierce with a sharp stake or point; "impale a shrimp on a
skewer" [syn: transfix, impale, empale]
3: secure with spikes
4: bring forth a spike or spikes; "my hyacinths and orchids are
spiking now" [syn: spike out]
5: add alcohol beverages [syn: lace, fortify]
6: manifest a sharp increase; "the voltage spiked"
WordNet (r) 2.0
211 Moby Thesaurus words for "spike":
adulterate, ament, annul, auger, auricle, baffle, balk, bastardize,
bayonet, bite, blast, block, bore, bramble, brave, brier, bristle,
broach, bugger, bung, burr, cactus, cancel, capitulum, catchweed,
catkin, challenge, check, check valve, checkmate, circumvent,
cleavers, cob, cock, cone, confound, confront, contaminate,
contravene, cork, corncob, corrupt, corymb, counter, counteract,
countermand, countersink, counterwork, cripple, cross, cut, cyme,
dagger, dash, de-energize, debase, debilitate, defeat, defy,
denaturalize, denature, destroy, dilute, dirk, disable, disarm,
discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, disenable, dish, disrupt,
doctor, doctor up, drain, drill, drug, ear, ear of corn, elude,
empierce, enfeeble, equipage, faucet, fix, flummox, foil, fortify,
four-in-hand, frustrate, goose grass, gore, gouge, gouge out,
hamstring, head, hole, honeycomb, hors de combat, impale,
inactivate, incapacitate, kibosh, knife, knock the chocks, lace,
lame, lance, lid, maim, mealie, nail, needle, nettle, nonplus,
nullify, pair, panicle, peg, penetrate, perforate, perplex, picket,
pierce, pike, pin, pine cone, pine needle, pink, plug, plunge in,
poison, pollute, poniard, prick, prickle, prong, punch, puncture,
put, queer, queer the works, quill, raceme, randem, ream, ream out,
riddle, rig, ruin, run through, saber, sabotage, scotch, sea cock,
skewer, spadix, span, spear, spicule, spiculum, spigot, spike team,
spikelet, spile, spill, spine, spit, spoil, stab, stake, stick,
sticker, stiletto, stonewall, stop, stopgap, stopper, stopple,
strengthen, strobile, stump, sword, tamper with, tandem, tap, team,
thistle, thorn, three-up, thwart, thyrse, transfix, transpierce,
treenail, trepan, trephine, turnout, umbel, unfit, unicorn, upset,
valve, verticillaster, void, water, water down, weaken, wing,
wreck, yucca
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
spike v. 1. To defeat a selection mechanism by introducing a (sometimes
temporary) device that forces a specific result. The word is used in
several industries; telephone engineers refer to spiking a relay by
inserting a pin to hold the relay in either the closed or open state,
and railroaders refer to spiking a track switch so that it cannot be
moved. In programming environments it normally refers to a temporary
change, usually for testing purposes (as opposed to a permanent change,
which would be called hardwired). 2. [borderline techspeak] A visible
peak in an otherwise rather constant graph (e.g. a sudden surge in line
voltage, an unexpected short "high" on a logical line in a circuit).
Hackers frequently use this for a sudden short increase in some quantity
such as system load or network traffic.
Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001)
spike
To defeat a selection mechanism by introducing a
(sometimes temporary) device that forces a specific result.
The word is used in several industries; telephone engineers
refer to spiking a relay by inserting a pin to hold the relay
in either the closed or open state, and railroaders refer to
spiking a track switch so that it cannot be moved. In
programming environments it normally refers to a temporary
change, usually for testing purposes (as opposed to a
permanent change, which would be called hard-coded).
(1999-10-18)
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03)
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