Also 4 spik, 6 spyke. [ad. L. spīca fem. (rarely spīcum neut. and spīcus masc.) ear of corn, plant-spike. In branch I corresponding to It. spiga, Prov., Sp. espiga fem., OF. espi (espic), F. épi masc.; in sense 4 to OF. espic, F. spic and aspic (see SPICK sb.2, ASPIC2), It. spigo, Sp. espliego masc., also MDu. spike, spijc, Du. spijk, G. spieke fem. (also masc. in variant forms).]
I. 1. An ear of grain. Chiefly poet.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. XIII. 180. Bote yf þe sed þat sowen is in þe sloh sterue, Shal neuere spir springen vp ne spik on strawe curne.
1601. Holland, Pliny, XVIII. vii. I. 557. All kind of corne carrying spike or eare, called Frumenta.
1648. Denham, Cato Major Old Age, iii. (1669), 33. Drawn up in rancks, and files, the bearded spikes Guard it from birds as with a stand of pikes.
1700. Dryden, trans. Ovid’s Meleager & Atalanta, 33. Suff’ring not their yellow Beards to rear, He [sc. the wild boar] tramples down the Spikes, and intercepts the Year.
1730–46. Thomson, Autumn, 166. The gleaners spread around, and here and there, Spike after spike, their scanty harvest pick.
1796. Withering, Brit. Plants (ed. 3), I. 83. Take a spike (or as it is frequently called, an ear) of wheat.
1798. Coleridge, Three Graves, III. ii. On the hedge-elms in the narrow lane Still swung the spikes of corn.
1860. Adler, Prov. Poet., xvi. 359. A man without love is worth no more than the spike without grain.
1875. [see SPICA 4].
b. Astr. The virgin’s spike [trans. L. spica Virginis], = SPICA 3.
1559. W. Cunningham, Cosmogr. Glasse, 104. A fixed sterre, called the virgins spike.
1764. Maskelyne, in Phil. Trans., LIV. 359. The virgin’s spike, and a small star preceding it.
1802. O. G. Gregory, Treat. Astron., vi. 109. On the 8th of April, 1801, at what hour will the star called virgin’s spike be on the meridian of London?
c. The receptacle in which the grains of maize are fixed.
1800. Med. Jrnl., IV. 249. From the young fresh stalks, as well as from the spikes of India corn, a true sugar can be extracted.
1809. A. Henry, Trav., 134. I was requested not to break the spikes. Ibid. The grains of maize … grow in compact cells, round a spike.
2. Bot. A form of inflorescence consisting of sessile flowers borne on an elongated simple axis.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, 103. Long purple, spykie knoppes like to the eares or spikes of Bistorte.
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 364. The head of Nardus spreadeth into certaine spikes or eares, whereby it hath a twofold use, both of spike and also of leafe.
1668. Wilkins, Real Char., 78. Naked stalks; and flowers in a spike. Ibid. Whose leaves are of a dark green above,… bearing a spike of flowers.
1676. M. Lister, in Ray’s Corresp. (1848), 124. The fulminating powder, which the spikes of Muscus Lycopod. yield.
1726. Flower Garden Displ. (ed. 2), Introd. Spikes, Trusses or Bunches, when the Flowers grow in such a manner as to form an Acute Cone.
1753. Chambers’ Cycl., Suppl. s.v. Lychnis, The wild white lychnis with a bending spike of flowers.
1784. Cowper, Task, VI. 159. Her beauteous head now set With purple spikes pyramidal.
1851. Glenny, Handbk. Fl. Gard., 158. The blossoms are purple, and grow in spikes at the ends of the branches.
1889. Science-Gossip, XXV. 122. They were beautiful trees, with their leaves … growing in thickly-set spikes.
3. attrib. and Comb., as spike-corn, -stalk; spike-flowered, -like adjs.; spike-wise adv.
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 559. White Amel-corn, called Olyra, which is among them holden for the third sort of *Spike-corne.
1833. Penny Cycl., I. 77/1. Acer spicatum, the *spike-flowered maple.
1857. Henfrey, Bot., § 126. The term catkin … is applied to the … *spike-like inflorescence of the Willow, Poplar, Birch.
1880. Jefferies, Gt. Estate, 136. Beside them a rolled spike-like bloom not yet unfolded.
1796. Withering, Brit. Plants (ed. 3), I. 83. *Spike-stalk,… a long, rough, slender receptacle, upon which the flowers composing a spike are placed.
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 559. The graines arranged *spike-wise.
b. In some specific names of plants, as spike-cudweed, -grass, -mint, -rush (see quots. and SPIKED a.1 2).
1715. Phil. Trans., XXIX. 355. Welted Antego *Spike-Cudweed.
1760. J. Lee, Introd. Bot., App. 317. *Spike-grass, Winged, Stipa.
1771. J. R. Forster, Flora Amer. Septentr., 4. Uniola paniculata Spike-grass.
1856. A. Gray, Man. Bot., 567. Uniola,… Spike-Grass.
1731. Miller, Gard. Dict., Index, *Spike-mint, Spear-mint.
1829. Loudon, Encycl. Pl. (1836), 48. Eleocharis,… *Spike-Rush. Spike oval naked.
1859. Miss Pratt, Brit. Grasses, 11. Spike-rush. Spikelet many-flowered, solitary, terminal.
II. † 4. French lavender (Lavandula Spica); = SPICK sb.2 Obs.
1539. Elyot, Cast. Helthe (1541), 11. Thinges good for a colde head: Cububes, Galingale,… Pionye. Hyssope, Spyke, Yreos.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, 265. It is called … in English Spike and Lauender.
1591. Sylvester, Du Bartas, I. vi. 729. Here bitter Worm-wood, there sweet-smelling Spike.
1611. Cotgr., Spicaire, Roman Spike, or Lauender.
1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., III. iv. I. i. Sweet sents of saffron, spike, calamus and cynamon.
1712. trans. Pomet’s Hist. Drugs, I. 26. Of a strong smell, very much like Spike or Lavender.
b. Oil of spike, an essential oil obtained by distillation from Lavendula Spica (and L. Slœchas), employed in painting and in veterinary medicine. (Cf. spike-oil in 7.)
1577. Harrison, England, III. ix. (1878), II. 65. A most delectable and sweet oile, comparable to … oile of spike in smell, was found naturallie included in a stone.
1594. Plat, Jewell-ho., II. 9. I speak not here of the oile of spike which will extende very farre this way.
1669. Sturmy, Mariner’s Mag., VII. xxxiv. 49. Yellow Oker, well ground Oyle of Spike or Turpentine.
1686. Plot, Staffordsh., 379. They use Litharge pounded and scarced fine, mixt with oyle of Spike.
1753. J. Bartlet, Gentl. Farriery, 231. The hot oils, as spike, turpentine and origanum.
1815. J. Smith, Panorama Sci. & Art, II. 755. They are then mixed with oil of spike, and applied to the glass with camel-hair pencils.
1861. Bentley, Man. Bot., 610. Oil of Spike or Foreign Oil of Lavender. Ibid. L. Stœchas also yields … an essential oil, which is commonly distinguished as the True Oil of Spike.
attrib. 1703. Art’s Improv., I. 48. You need not fear much the laying on of the Varnish the second time, provided … it be Oil of Spike Varnish.
† 5. Spike Celtic, a species of valerian. Obs.
1540. R. Jonas, Byrth Mankynde, 70. For this take spyke celtyke, whiche some call mary mawdelyne flower,… & sethe it in the oyle of sesamum,… & laye it on the place.
1579. Langham, Gard. Health (1633), 16. Seethe Spike celtike in oyle of Almonds, and a little Turpentine and dip well therein and apply it.
† 6. Spikenard. Obs.–1
1540. Hyrde, trans. Vives’ Instr. Chr. Wom. (1592), F vij. Mary Magdalene poured vpon the head of our Lorde, oyntment of pretious Spike.
7. attrib. (in sense 4), as spike-flower, -lavender, -leaf, -oil [cf. Du. spijkolie, G. spieköl], † -water.
1588. L. M., trans. Bk. Dyeing, 12. Take 2. pound of *spike flowers,… one pound of rose marie.
1741. Compl. Fam.-Piece, I. iv. 252. Then put to them Balm, Spike-flowers,… of each 1 Ounce.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts, 444. With the decoction or liquor which commeth from *Spike-Lauender.
1799. G. Smith, Laboratory, I. 114. Temper … with oil of spike, i. e. spike-lavender.
1879. Cassell’s Techn. Educ., III. 247/1. Oil of spike lavender, or … turpentine, may be used instead of the coal-naphtha.
1750. W. Ellis, Mod. Husbandm., III. I. 178. Boil some Lavender and *Spike-leaves.
1611. Cotgr., Huile nardin, *spike oyle.
1685. Baxter, Paraphr. N. T., Mark xiv. 3. It was a Cruise of precious Spike Oyl, shaken and poured out.
1868–77. Watts, Dict. Chem., V. 399. According to Gastell, spike-oil is obtained from the leaves and stalks, true lavender-oil from the flowers, of several species of Lavandula.
1558. Warde, trans. Alexis’ Secr., 46 b. Take … Lauender water, *Spike water, of eche of them thre vnces.
1572. in Feuillerat, Revels Q. Eliz. (1908), 175. i pynte of spike water.
