spike

CEFRB2

/spaɪk/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A sharp point or sudden increase.

  2. 02

    verb

    To increase suddenly or add something harmful or unwanted.

Examples

  • The plant sends out a spike on which the flowers grow.

  • I saw her spike his drink.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A piece of pointed metal etc. set with points upward or outward.

  2. Anything resembling such a nail in shape.

  3. A sort of very large nail.

More examples

In context

  • Mike named his dog Spike.

  • The trap was lined with spikes.

  • to spike down planks

Synonyms

Quick test

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Question 1 · Quick check

The track shoe had a single metal blank that provided extra grip.

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Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English spike, spyke, spik, from Old Norse spík (“spike, sprig”), from Proto-Germanic *spīkō (“stick, splinter, point”), from Proto-Indo-European *spey- (“to be pointed; sharp point, stick”). Cognate with Icelandic spík (“spike”), Swedish spik (“spike, nail”), Dutch spijker (“nail”), Old English spīcing (“spike”), and Latin spīca (“ear of corn”), which may have influenced some senses.