spile

• IPA^(key): /spaɪl/

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

spile (plural spiles)

1. (obsolete or dialectal) A splinter.
2. A spigot or plug used to stop the hole in a barrel or cask.
   • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet Chapter 4

     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.

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.

Alteration of pile, after Etymology 1, above.

spile (plural spiles)

1. A pile; a post or girder.
   • 1975, Catherine Aird, Slight Mourning‎:

     […] 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.

     .

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.

Alteration of spoil.

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

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

• Elpis, Lipes, Peils, Piels, Piles, Siple, piles, plies, pliés, slipe, spiel

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

1. To dilate.

• spil, spyl

From spilen. Alternatively from a Old English *spil, from Proto-Germanic *spilą. Compare Middle High German spiel.

• IPA^(key): /spiːl/, /spil/

spile

1. (rare) amusement, entertainment, celebration

• “spī̆le (n.(2))” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-05-20.