spire
Use Spire in a sentence
noun
1.
a tall, acutely pointed pyramidal roof or rooflike construction upon a tower, roof, etc.
2.
a similar construction forming the upper part of a steeple. See illus. under steeple.
3.
a tapering, pointed part of something; a tall, sharp-pointed summit, peak, or the like: the distant spires of the mountains.
4.
the highest point or summit of something: the spire of a hill; the spire of one's profession.
5.
a sprout or shoot of a plant, as an acrospire of grain or a blade or spear of grass.
verb (used without object)
6.
to shoot or rise into spirelike form; rise or extend to a height in the manner of a spire.
00:10
Spire
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is fletcherise. Does it mean:
| to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English; Old English spīr spike, blade; cognate with Middle Dutch spier, Middle Low German spīr shoot, sprout, sprig, Old Norse spīra stalk
before 1000; Middle English; Old English spīr spike, blade; cognate with Middle Dutch spier, Middle Low German spīr shoot, sprout, sprig, Old Norse spīra stalk
Related forms
spire·less, adjective
un·spir·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To spire
Collins
World English Dictionary
spire1 (spaɪə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | Also called: steeple a tall structure that tapers upwards to a point, esp one on a tower or roof or one that forms the upper part of a steeple |
| 2. | a slender tapering shoot or stem, such as a blade of grass |
| 3. | the apical part of any tapering formation; summit |
| —vb | |
| 4. | (intr) to assume the shape of a spire; point up |
| 5. | (tr) to furnish with a spire or spires |
| [Old English spīr blade; related to Old Norse spīra stalk, Middle Low German spīr shoot, Latin spīna thorn] | |
| 'spiry1 | |
| —adj | |
| spire2 (spaɪə) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | any of the coils or turns in a spiral structure |
| 2. | the apical part of a spiral shell |
| [C16: from Latin spīra a coil, from Greek speira] | |
| spiriferous2 | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
spire
O.E. spir "sprout, shoot, stalk of grass," from P.Gmc. *spiraz (cf. O.N. spira "a stalk, slender tree," M.L.G. spir "a small point or top"), from PIE *spei- "sharp point" (see spike (n.1)). Meaning "tapering top of a tower or steeple" first recorded 1590s (a sense attested
in M.L.G. since late 14c. and also found in the Scandinavian cognates). The verb is first recorded early 14c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
The showy lantern tower of the tallest spire glowed with a nighttime torch when the king was in.
The murals of the marble and granite lobby were restored, and the stainless steel eagles and spire regained their glint.
There are far easier ways of attaching a decorative spire to the top of a building.
The final ecstatic leap of the spire is no afterthought but is implicit almost from the sidewalk.
Image for spire
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