Spile

/spaɪl/ · noun

Meaning

(obsolete or dialectal, Cumbria, Lancashire) A splinter..

Definitions by Sense

1. (obsolete or dialectal, Cumbria, Lancashire) A splinter.
2. A spigot or plug used to stop the hole in a barrel or cask.
3. (US) A spout inserted in a maple (or other tree) to draw off sap.
4. To plug (a hole) with a spile.
5. To draw off (a liquid) using a spile.
6. To provide (a barrel, tree etc.) with a spile.
7. A pile; a post or girder.
8. (transitive) To support by means of spiles.

Example Sentences

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.

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.

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...

[…]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.

Synonyms for spile

Antonyms for spile

Related Words

Word Forms

• spiles
• spiling
• spiled

Usage Notes

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