Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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noun
A small, or secondary spike, especially one of many in the inflorescence of a grass or sedge.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
a small sharp-pointed tip resembling a spike on a stem or leaf
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: spine, thorn, prickle, pricker, sticker
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: aculeus
Narrower terms: glochidium, glochid
History
Etymology tree English spike Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -lus Latin -ellus Old French -el Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tosder.? Late Latin -ittus Old French -et Old French -eletbor. Middle English -let English -let English spikelet From spike + -let.
Across languages
11 source translations are retained for this English entry.
