Spile
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A splinter. Cumbria, dialectal, obsolete
- 2 A pile; a post or girder.
"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..."
- 3 a plug used to close a hole in a barrel or flask wordnet
- 4 A spigot or plug used to stop the hole in a barrel or cask.
"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."
- 5 a column of wood or steel or concrete that is driven into the ground to provide support for a structure wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A spout inserted in a maple (or other tree) to draw off sap. US
"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."
- 1 To plug (a hole) with a spile.
- 2 To support by means of spiles. transitive
- 3 spoil. US, ambitransitive, dialectal
- 4 To draw off (a liquid) using a spile.
- 5 To drive piles into. transitive
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To provide (a barrel, tree etc.) with a spile.
Example
More examples"Into each hole, we inserted a small aluminum tube called a spile, tapped it snug with a hammer and hung a sheet metal contraption with a plastic bag on it from the spile."
Etymology
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.
Alteration of pile, after Etymology 1, above.
Alteration of spoil.
Related phrases
More for "spile"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.