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spikemore about spike

spike


  6  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Spike  \Spike\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Spiked};  p.  pr  &  vb  n. 
  {Spiking}.] 
  1.  To  fasten  with  spikes,  or  long,  large  nails;  as  to  spike 
  down  planks. 
 
  2.  To  set  or  furnish  with  spikes. 
 
  3.  To  fix  on  a  spike.  [R.]  --Young. 
 
  4.  To  stop  the  vent  of  (a  gun  or  cannon)  by  driving  a  spike 
  nail,  or  the  like  into  it 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Spike  \Spike\,  n.  [Akin  to  LG  spiker,  spieker  a  large  nail,  D. 
  spijker  Sw  spik,  Dan.  spiger,  Icel.  sp[=i]k;  all  perhaps 
  from  L.  spica  a  point,  an  ear  of  grain;  but  in  the  sense  of 
  nail  more  likely  akin  to  E.  spoke  of  a  wheel.  Cf  {Spine}.] 
  1.  A  sort  of  very  large  nail;  also  a  piece  of  pointed  iron 
  set  with  points  upward  or  outward. 
 
  2.  Anything  resembling  such  a  nail  in  shape. 
 
  He  wears  on  his  head  the  corona  radiata  .  .  .;  the 
  spikes  that  shoot  out  represent  the  rays  of  the  sun. 
  --Addison. 
 
  3.  An  ear  of  corn  or  grain. 
 
  4.  (Bot.)  A  kind  of  flower  cluster  in  which  sessile  flowers 
  are  arranged  on  an  unbranched  elongated  axis. 
 
  {Spike  grass}  (Bot.),  either  of  two  tall  perennial  American 
  grasses  ({Uniola  paniculata},  and  {U.  latifolia})  having 
  broad  leaves  and  large  flattened  spikelets. 
 
  {Spike  rush}.  (Bot.)  See  under  {Rush}. 
 
  {Spike  shell}  (Zo["o]l.),  any  pteropod  of  the  genus 
  {Styliola}  having  a  slender  conical  shell. 
 
  {Spike  team},  three  horses,  or  a  horse  and  a  yoke  of  oxen, 
  harnessed  together,  a  horse  leading  the  oxen  or  the  span. 
  [U.S.] 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Spike  \Spike\,  n.  [Cf.  G.  spieke,  L.  spica  an  ear  of  grain.  See 
  {Spikenard}.]  (Bot.) 
  Spike  lavender.  See  {Lavender}. 
 
  {Oil  of  spike}  (Chem.),  a  colorless  or  yellowish  aromatic  oil 
  extracted  from  the  European  broad-leaved  lavender,  or 
  aspic  ({Lavendula  Spica}),  used  in  artist's  varnish  and  in 
  veterinary  medicine.  It  is  often  adulterated  with  oil  of 
  turpentine,  which  it  much  resembles. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  spike 
  n  1:  a  transient  variation  in  voltage  or  current 
  2:  sharp  point  on  the  sole  of  shoe  worn  by  athletes;  spikes 
  provide  greater  traction 
  3:  fruiting  spike  of  a  cereal  plant  especially  corn  [syn:  {ear}, 
  {capitulum}] 
  4:  (botany)  an  indeterminate  inflorescence  bearing  sessile 
  flowers  on  an  unbranched  axis 
  5:  a  sharp-pointed  projection  along  the  top  of  a  fence  or  wall 
  6:  a  long  sharp-pointed  implement  (wood  or  metal) 
  7:  any  long  sharp-pointed  object  used  as  a  fastener  or  holder 
  8:  a  long  metal  nail 
  v  1:  stand  in  the  way  of 
  2:  pierce  with  a  sharp  stake  or  point;  "impale  a  shrimp  on  a 
  skewer"  [syn:  {transfix},  {impale},  {empale}] 
  3:  secure  with  spikes 
  4:  bring  forth  a  spike  or  spikes,  as  of  flowers,  such  as 
  hyacinths  [syn:  {spike  out}] 
  5:  add  alcohol  beverages  [syn:  {lace},  {fortify}] 
 
  From  Jargon  File  (4.2.3,  23  NOV  2000)  [jargon]: 
 
  spike  v.  To  defeat  a  selection  mechanism  by  introducing  a 
  (sometimes  temporary)  device  that  forces  a  specific  result.  The  word 
  is  used  in  several  industries;  telephone  engineers  refer  to  spiking  a 
  relay  by  inserting  a  pin  to  hold  the  relay  in  either  the  closed  or  open 
  state,  and  railroaders  refer  to  spiking  a  track  switch  so  that  it  cannot 
  be  moved  In  programming  environments  it  normally  refers  to  a  temporary 
  change,  usually  for  testing  purposes  (as  opposed  to  a  permanent  change, 
  which  would  be  called  {hardwired}). 
 
 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  spike 
 
    To  defeat  a  selection  mechanism  by  introducing  a 
  (sometimes  temporary)  device  that  forces  a  specific  result. 
  The  word  is  used  in  several  industries;  telephone  engineers 
  refer  to  spiking  a  relay  by  inserting  a  pin  to  hold  the  relay 
  in  either  the  closed  or  open  state,  and  railroaders  refer  to 
  spiking  a  track  switch  so  that  it  cannot  be  moved  In 
  programming  environments  it  normally  refers  to  a  temporary 
  change,  usually  for  testing  purposes  (as  opposed  to  a 
  permanent  change,  which  would  be  called  {hard-coded}). 
 
  (1999-10-18) 
 
 




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