Definition: spike
Source: WordNet (r) 1.7
spike
n 1: a transient variation in voltage or current
2: sports equipment consisting of a sharp point on the sole of
a 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 holding device consisting of a long sharp-pointed object
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]
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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.
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.]
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.
Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (2003-OCT-10)
spike <jargon> 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)
Source: Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001)
spike v. 1. 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). 2. [borderline techspeak] A visible peak in an otherwise rather constant graph (e.g. a sudden surge in line voltage, an unexpected short "high" on a logical line in a circuit). Hackers frequently use this for a sudden short increase in some quantity such as system load or network traffic.
