spike English · revision 13541

− It is probably borrowed from a Scandinavian source: compare [[bor|non|spík|t=splinter]], spíkr, nail, and Middle Swedish spijk, nail, from [[m|gem-pro|*spīkaz]];^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) Merriam-Webster and the NODE prefer Middle Dutch spike or Middle Low German spīker, and the NODE relates it to [[spoke]].^(MWU 2024)^(NODE 1998)^(Hoad 1986) Older sources trace it to a root meaning “sharp point”, also in Latin spīca and spīna, but de Vaan connects only the Germanic, Latin and perhaps Lithuanian words.^(Etymonline)

− It is [[bor|la|spīca|t=ear of grain]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) cognate with Dutch spie, peg, and possibly related to Latin spīna, thorn (see [[spine]]).^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)