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spica

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spi⋅ca

  [spahy-kuh]
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–noun, plural -cae  [-see] , -cas for 1, 2.
1. spike 2 .
2. a type of bandage in the shape of a figure eight, extending from an extremity to the trunk.
3. (initial capital letter) Astronomy. a first-magnitude star in the constellation Virgo.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L spīca lit., ear of grain; cf. spike 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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spi·ca   (spī'kə)   
n.   pl. spi·cae (-kē, -sē) or spi·cas
A bandage applied in overlapping opposite spirals to immobilize a digit or limb.

[Latin spīca, ear of grain (from its shape).]
Spi·ca   (spī'kə)   
n.  A spectroscopic binary star, 245 light-years from Earth, one of the brightest stars in the sky and the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.

[Latin Spīca, from spīca, ear of grain.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

Spica 
1728, bright star in constellation Virgo, from L., lit. "ear of grain," corresponding to Gk. stakhys (see spike (n.1)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: spi·ca
Pronunciation: 'spI-k&
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural spi·cae /-"kE/ or spicas
: a bandage that is applied in successive V-shaped crossings and is used to immobilize a limb especially at a joint; also : such a bandage impregnated withplaster of paris spica cast applied at the hip>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Science Dictionary
Spica   (spī'kə)  Pronunciation Key 
A bright bluish-white binary star in the constellation Virgo, with an apparent magnitude of 0.96. Scientific name: Alpha Virginis.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

Spica

brightest star in the zodiacal constellation Virgo and one of the 15 brightest in the entire sky, having an apparent visual magnitude of 0.98. It is a bluish star; spectroscopic examination reveals Spica to be a binary with a four-day period, its two components being of the first and third magnitudes, respectively. Spica lies about 260 light-years from the Earth

Learn more about Spica with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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