noun, plural ( especially collectively ) pike ( especially referring to two or more kinds or species ) pikes.
1.
any of several large, slender, voracious freshwater fishes of the genus Esox, having a long, flat snout: the blue pike of the Great Lakes is now extinct.
2.
any of various superficially similar fishes, as the walleye or pikeperch.
Related forms
pike·like, adjective
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Pike
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
noun Chiefly British.
a hill or mountain with a pointed summit.
noun
1.
a sharply pointed projection or spike.
2.
the pointed end of anything, as of an arrow or a spear.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English pik pick, spike, (pilgrim's) staff, Old English pīc pointed tool. See pick2
before 900; Middle English pik pick, spike, (pilgrim's) staff, Old English pīc pointed tool. See pick2
verb (used without object), piked, pik·ing. Older Slang.
to go, leave, or move along quickly.
Origin:
1425–75; late Middle English pyke (reflexive); perhaps orig. to equip oneself with a walking stick. See pike5
1425–75; late Middle English pyke (reflexive); perhaps orig. to equip oneself with a walking stick. See pike5
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To pike
Collins
World English Dictionary
pike1 (paɪk) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl pike, pikes | |
| 1. | any of several large predatory freshwater teleost fishes of the genus Esox, esp E. lucius (northern pike), having a broad flat snout, strong teeth, and an elongated body covered with small scales: family Esocidae |
| 2. | any of various similar fishes |
| [C14: short for pikefish, from Old English pīc point, with reference to the shape of its jaw] | |
| pike2 (paɪk) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a medieval weapon consisting of an iron or steel spearhead joined to a long pole, the pikestaff |
| 2. | a point or spike |
| —vb | |
| 3. | (tr) to stab or pierce using a pike |
| [Old English pīc point, of obscure origin] | |
| pike3 (paɪk) | |
| —n | |
| short for turnpike | |
| pike4 (paɪk) | |
| —n | |
| dialect (Northern English) a pointed or conical hill | |
| [Old English pīc, of obscure origin] | |
| pike or piked5 (paɪk, paɪkt) | |
| —adj | |
| (of the body position of a diver) bent at the hips but with the legs straight | |
| [C20: of obscure origin] | |
| piked or piked5 | |
| —adj | |
| [C20: of obscure origin] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
pike
"highway," 1837 shortening of turnpike (q.v.). Originally it meant the toll booth; it came to mean the road itself 1852.
pike
"weapon," c.1511, from M.Fr. pique "a spear, pikeman," from piquer "to pick, prick, pierce," from O.Fr. pic "sharp point or spike," perhaps ult. from a Gmc. or Celtic source. Alternative explanation traces O.Fr. word to L. picus "woodpecker." Also developed from O.E. pic "pointed object, pickaxe." Pike,
pick, and pitch were formerly used indifferently in Eng. Pike position in diving, gymnastics, etc., attested from 1928, on same notion as jack-knife.
pike
"voracious freshwater fish," early 14c., probably short for pike-fish, a special use of pike (2) in reference to the fish's long, pointed jaw (cf. Fr. brochet "pike" (fish), from broche "a roasting spit").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Loved and hated, the northern pike has both detractors and fans.
Pickerel is a carnivorous freshwater fish, a member of the pike family.
Northern pike are top predators with long torpedo shaped bodies built for speed.
There's some cool new refrigeration technology coming down the pike.
Images for pike
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