spile

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English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle Dutch or Middle Low German spile (splinter, peg), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *spīlaz (splinter, peg), from Proto-Indo-European *spey- (prickle, pointed stick). Cognate with Saterland Frisian spyl, German Speil (chip, splinter, gore, wedge), Danish spile, Dutch spijl.

Noun

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spile (plural spiles)

  1. (obsolete or dialectal, Cumbria, Lancashire) A splinter.
  2. A spigot or plug used to stop the hole in a barrel or cask.
    • [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC:
      So I felt my way down the passage back to the vault, and recked not of the darkness, nor of Blackbeard and his crew, if only I could lay my lips to liquor. Thus I groped about the barrels till near the top of the stack my hand struck on the spile of a keg, and drawing it, I got my mouth to the hold.
  3. (US) A spout inserted in a maple (or other tree) to draw off sap.
    • 2023, Ray Mears, chapter 2, in British Woodland, Ebury Spotlight, →ISBN:
      Now, chamfering one end of the elderberry tube slightly to fit, I push it into the hole and wait. After a few seconds sap will begin to drip from the end of the tube, a tangible flow of life and vitality. […] Beneath the tube, properly called a spile, I place my cup to catch the drips.

Verb

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spile (third-person singular simple present spiles, present participle spiling, simple past and past participle spiled)

  1. To plug (a hole) with a spile.
  2. To draw off (a liquid) using a spile.
  3. To provide (a barrel, tree etc.) with a spile.

Etymology 2

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Alteration of pile, after Etymology 1, above.

Noun

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spile (plural spiles)

  1. A pile; a post or girder.
    • 1873, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Palmetto-Leaves:
      The bottom of the river is of hard, sparkling white sand, into which spiles are easily driven; and the building and keeping up of such a wharf is a trifling trouble...
    • 1975, Catherine Aird, Slight Mourning[1]:
      [] we'd settled that I’d pick up some spiles from Greg Fitch first thing on Monday morning and get something done about that fence.

Verb

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spile (third-person singular simple present spiles, present participle spiling, simple past and past participle spiled)

  1. (transitive) To support by means of spiles.
  2. (transitive) To drive piles into.

Etymology 3

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Alteration of spoil.

Verb

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spile (third-person singular simple present spiles, present participle spiling, simple past and past participle spiled)

  1. (US, dialect, transitive, intransitive) spoil.

Anagrams

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Danish

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Etymology

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

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spile (imperative spil, infinitive at spile, present tense spiler, past tense spilede, perfect tense har spilet)

  1. To dilate.

Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From spilen. Alternatively from an Old English *spil, from Proto-West Germanic *spil.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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spile

  1. (rare) amusement, entertainment, celebration

References

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