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spikelike

 - 7 dictionary results

spike

1  [spahyk] noun, verb, spiked, spik⋅ing.
Use spikelike in a Sentence
–noun
1. a naillike fastener, 3 to 12 in. (7.6 to 30.5 cm) long and proportionately thicker than a common nail, for fastening together heavy timbers or railroad track.
2. something resembling such a nail; a stiff, sharp-pointed piece or part: to set spikes in the top of a cement wall.
3. a sharp-pointed piece of metal set with the point outward, as on a weapon.
4. an abrupt increase or rise: a chart showing a spike of unusual activity in the stock market; a sudden spike of electrical current.
5. a rectangular or naillike metal projection on the heel and sole of a shoe for improving traction, as of a baseball player or a runner.
6. spikes, a pair of shoes having such projections.
7. the unbranched antler of a young deer.
8. Botany. a flower stalk.
9. a pointed portion of a continuous curve or graph, usually rising above the adjacent portion: a spike in the value of the voltage.
10. Volleyball. a hard smash, hit close to the net, almost straight down into the opponent's court.
11. Slang. a hypodermic needle.
–verb (used with object)
12. to fasten or secure with a spike or spikes.
13. to provide or set with a spike or spikes.
14. to pierce with or impale on a spike.
15. to set or stud with something suggesting spikes.
16. to injure (another player or a competitor) with the spikes of one's shoe, as in baseball.
17. Volleyball. to hit (a ball in the air) with a powerful, overarm motion from a position close to the net so as to cause it to travel almost straight down into the court of the opponents.
18. Football. to slam (the ball) to the ground in the end zone, after scoring a touchdown.
19. to render (a muzzle-loading gun) useless by driving a spike into the touchhole.
20. to make ineffective; frustrate or thwart: to spike a rumor; to spike someone's chances for promotion.
21. Informal.
a. to add alcoholic liquor to (a drink).
b. to add (a chemical, poison, or other substance) to: The cocoa was spiked with cyanide.
22. Journalism Slang. to refuse (a story) by or as if by placing on a spindle.
–verb (used without object)
23. to rise or increase sharply (often fol. by up): Interest rates spiked up last week.
—Idiom
24. spike someone's guns. gun 1 (def. 15).
Origin:
1300–50; ME spik(e) (n.) < ON spīkr nail; akin to ON spīk, MLG spīker nail

Related forms:
spikelike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Slang Dictionary
spike

  1. n.
    a hypodermic needle; a hypodermic syringe and needle; a medicine dropper and a needle. (Drugs.) : The addict caught some strange disease from a dirty spike.
  2. tv.
    to add ether or alcohol to beer, originally by injecting it through the cork with a hypodermic needle; to add alcohol to a nonalcoholic drink. (From prohibition times. See also spiked.) : He spiked the beer with ether, which is a dangerous thing to do.
  3. tv.
    to puncture an idea. : I explained the plan, but the boss spiked it immediately.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

spike  (n.2)
"ear of grain," 1393, from L. spica "ear of grain," related to spina "thorn" (see spike (n.1)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

spike

A sudden, short-term change in the price of a security that just as suddenly returns close to its previous level. For example, a stock that has consistently traded in a $10 to $12 per share range may suddenly move to a price of $14 and then return to $12. The sudden rise to the $14 price is a spike.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2spike
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: spiked; spik·ing
: to undergo a sudden sharp increase in (temperature orfever) usually up to an indicated level spiked fevers as high as 105°F>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

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.
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Science Dictionary
spike   (spīk)  Pronunciation Key 
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 © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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