spike

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A long, thick, sharp-pointed piece of wood or metal.
2. n. A heavy nail.
3. n. A spikelike part or projection, as:
4. n. A sharp-pointed projection along the top of a fence or wall.
5. n. A thin, sharp-pointed vertical rod for impaling papers; a spindle.
6. n. A thorn or spine.
7. n. A tuft of hair waxed or twisted so as to project in a stiff point.
8. n. Slang A hypodermic needle.
9. n. One of several sharp metal projections set in the sole or in the sole and heel of an athletic shoe for grip.
10. n. A pair of athletic shoes having such projections.
11. n. A pair of spike heels.
12. n. An unbranched antler of a young deer.
13. n. A young mackerel of small size, usually 15 centimeters (6 inches) or less in length.
14. n. A sharp rise followed by a sharp decline in a graph or in the tracing of a scientific instrument.
15. n. A sharp momentary increase in voltage or electric current.
16. n. A sudden steep increase in prices.
17. n. Sports The act of driving a volleyball at a sharp angle into the opponent's court by jumping near the net and hitting the ball down hard from above.
18. n. Football The act of slamming the ball to the ground after succeeding in an important play, as after scoring a touchdown.
19. v. To secure or provide with a spike.
20. v. To shape into spikes.
21. v. To impale, pierce, or injure with a spike.
22. v. To injure with spiked shoes, especially when sliding in baseball.
23. v. To put an end to; terminate: spike a rumor.
24. v. Informal To add alcoholic liquor to: spiked the punch with rum.
25. v. Informal To add a poison or other chemical to: a drink spiked with barbituates.
26. v. Informal To add flavor or spice to: "several herb vinegars, including one . . . spiked with colorful chive blossoms” ( New England Living).
27. v. Informal To add excitement or vitality to: spiked the speech with many jokes.
28. v. Sports To hit (a volleyball) in a spike.
29. v. Football To throw (the ball) down in a spike.
30. v. To render (a muzzleloading gun) useless by driving a spike into the vent.
31. v. To manifest (a sharp increase in body temperature): spike a high fever.
32. n. An ear of grain, as of wheat.
33. n. Botany A usually elongated, unbranched inflorescence with stalkless flowers arranged along an axis.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A sharp point; a pike; a sharp-pointed projection. A long nail or pointed iron inserted in something with the point outward, as in chevaux defrise, the top of a wall, gate, or the like, as a defense or to hinder passage. See cut under chevaux-de-frise.
2. n. A large nail or pin, generally of iron. The larger forms of spikes, particularly railroad-spikes, are chisel-pointed, and have a head or fang projecting to one side to bite the rail. Spikes are also made split, barbed, grooved, and of other shapes. Sec cut in preceding column.
3. n. An ear, as of wheat or other grain.
4. n. In botany, a flower-cluster or form of inflorescence in which the flowers are sessile (or apparently so) along an elongated, unbranched common axis, as in the well-known mullen and plantain. There are two modifications of the spike that have received distinct names, although not distinguishable by exact and constant characters. They are spadix and catkin. In the Equisetaceæ a spike is an aggregation of sporophyls at the apex of a shoot. Compare raceme, and see cuts under inflorescence, barley, papyrus, and Equisetaceæ.
5. n. Hence A sprig of some plant in which the flowers form a spike or somewhat spike-like cluster: as, a spike of lavender.
6. To fasten with spikes or long and large nails: as, to spike down the planks of a floor or a bridge.
7. To set with spikes; furnish with spikes.
8. To fix upon a spike.
9. To make sharp at the end.
10. To plug up the vent of with a spike, as a cannon.
11. n. Same as spike-lavender.
12. In base-ball and foot-racing, to strike or injure (a player) with the spikes in the shoes.
13. n. A disease of the pineapple in which the plants are dwarfed and the leaves become narrow and crowded; also a disease which destroys sandalwood timber in India.

Wiktionary

1. n. A sort of very large nail; also, a piece of pointed iron set with points upward or outward.
2. n. Anything resembling such a nail in shape.
3. n. An ear of grain.
4. n. botany A kind of inflorescence in which sessile flowers are arranged on an unbranched elongated axis.
5. n. Running shoes with spikes in the soles.
6. n. A sharp peak in a graph.
7. n. volleyball An attack from, usually, above the height of the net performed with the intent to send the ball straight to the floor of the opponent or off the hands of the opposing block.
8. n. zoology An adolescent male deer.
9. n. a surge in power.
10. n. slang The casual ward of a workhouse.
11. n. spike lavender
12. v. To covertly put alcohol or another intoxicating substance in a drink that previously did not contain such substances.
13. v. To add a small amount of one substance to another.
14. v. volleyball To attack from, usually, above the height of the net with the intent to send the ball straight to the floor of the opponent or off the hands of the opposing block.
15. v. military To render (a gun) unusable by driving a metal spike into its touch hole.
16. v. journalism To decide not to publish or make public.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A sort of very large nail; also, a piece of pointed iron set with points upward or outward.
2. n. Anything resembling such a nail in shape.
3. n. An ear of corn or grain.
4. n. (Bot.) A kind of flower cluster in which sessile flowers are arranged on an unbranched elongated axis.
5. v. To fasten with spikes, or long, large nails.
6. v. To set or furnish with spikes.
7. v. rare To fix on a spike.
8. v. To stop the vent of (a gun or cannon) by driving a spike nail, or the like into it.
9. n. (Bot.) Spike lavender. See lavender.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a long, thin sharp-pointed implement (wood or metal)
2. n. a very high narrow heel on women's shoes
3. n. (botany) an indeterminate inflorescence bearing sessile flowers on an unbranched axis
4. n. sports equipment consisting of a sharp point on the sole of a shoe worn by athletes
5. v. add alcohol to (beverages)
6. v. pierce with a sharp stake or point
7. n. each of the sharp points on the soles of athletic shoes to prevent slipping (or the shoes themselves)
8. v. manifest a sharp increase
9. n. a large stout nail
10. v. stand in the way of
11. n. a sharp-pointed projection along the top of a fence or wall (or a dinosaur)
12. v. secure with spikes
13. n. any holding device consisting of a rigid, sharp-pointed object
14. n. a sharp rise followed by a sharp decline
15. v. bring forth a spike or spikes
16. n. a transient variation in voltage or current
17. n. fruiting spike of a cereal plant especially corn