<B>spicosity, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the state of being spicous. </DL>
<A NAME="spicous">
<B>spicous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) having spikes or ears like corn. </DL>
<A NAME="spicula">
<B>spicula</B> (1), noun, pl. <B>-lae.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B><B>=spicule.</B> <DD><B> 2. </B>a sharp-pointed crystal, especially of frost or ice. </DL>
<A NAME="spicula">
<B>spicula</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> plural of <B>spiculum.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="spicular">
<B>spicular, </B>adjective. =spiculate.</DL>
<A NAME="spiculate">
<B>spiculate, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having, consisting of, or covered with spicules. <DD><B> 2. </B>like a spicule; slender and sharp-pointed. </DL>
<A NAME="spiculation">
<B>spiculation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> formation into a spicule or spicules. </DL>
<A NAME="spicule">
<B>spicule, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a small, slender, sharp-pointed piece, usually bony or crystalline. <DD><B> 2. </B>one of such pieces that form the skeleton of a sponge. <DD><B> 3. </B>a small spike of flowers; spikelet. <DD><B> 4. </B>a small solar prominence. </DL>
<A NAME="spiculiferous">
<B>spiculiferous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> bearing spicules or spicula. </DL>
<A NAME="spiculiform">
<B>spiculiform, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> formed like a spicule; sharp-pointed. </DL>
<A NAME="spiculum">
<B>spiculum, </B>noun, pl. <B>-la.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Zoology.) <DD><B> 1. </B>a sharp-pointed process or formation, as a spine of an echinoderm. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=spicule.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="spicy">
<B>spicy, </B>adjective, <B>spicier,</B> <B>spiciest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>flavored with spice. <BR> <I>Ex. The cookies were rich and spicy.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>like spice; sharp and fragrant. <BR> <I>Ex. Those apples have a spicy smell and taste.</I> (SYN) aromatic. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) lively and keen; spirited. <BR> <I>Ex. spicy conversation full of gossip.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) somewhat improper or indelicate. <BR> <I>Ex. a spicy joke.</I> (SYN) salacious. <DD><B> 5. </B>producing spices; rich in spices. <BR> <I>Ex. on India's spicy shores (William Cowper).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spider">
<B>spider, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>a small animal with eight legs and no wings. Spiders belong to the class of arachnids. Most kinds produce a silky thread for spinning webs to catch insects for food, and for making cocoons and nests. <DD><B> b. </B>any one of various similar arachnids, such as a harvestman (daddy longlegs). <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative:) <BR> <I>Ex. He was one of the kind sports call a spider, All wiry arms and legs (Robert Frost).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a kind of frying pan, originally one with short legs. <DD><B> 4. </B>(U.S.) a frame with three legs to support a pot or pan over a fire. <DD><B> 5. </B>a device for pulverizing the soil, to be attached to a cultivator. <DD><B> 6. </B>a highly flexible fiber ring which centers the voice coil of a loudspeaker. adj. <B>spiderlike.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="spiderbug">
<B>spider bug,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a heteropterous insect of the United States having a very slender body with threadlike middle and hind legs, and spinous forelegs adapted for seizing; stick bug. </DL>
<A NAME="spidercrab">
<B>spider crab,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a group of crabs having long legs and retractable eyes, as a common variety found along the Atlantic coast of the United States, and the giant crab of Japan. </DL>
<A NAME="spiderhole">
<B>spider hole,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Military Slang.) a hole in the ground concealing a sniper. </DL>
<A NAME="spiderlet">
<B>spiderlet, </B>noun. =spiderling.</DL>
<A NAME="spiderline">
<B>spider line,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> one of the threads of a spider's web used in forming the cross hairs of a telescope or the like. </DL>
<A NAME="spiderling">
<B>spiderling, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a little or young spider. </DL>
<A NAME="spiderman">
<B>spiderman, </B>noun, pl. <B>-men.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Especially British.) a construction worker who erects the steel framework of a tall building. <BR> <I>Ex. The four wings, assembled by competing teams of French and Belgian spidermen, are suspended from giant steel girders (Sunday Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spidermite">
<B>spider mite,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of various mites parasitic on insects, birds, and other animals, and on plants. </DL>
<A NAME="spidermonkey">
<B>spider monkey,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a genus of monkeys of South and Central America, having a long, slim body and limbs, a long, prehensile tail, and rudimentary thumbs or none at all. </DL>
<A NAME="spiderorchid">
<B>spider orchid,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a European orchid with small brown flowers resembling a spider in shape. </DL>
<A NAME="spiderphaeton">
<B>spider phaeton,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a lightweight, high carriage with a rear seat for a footman and a closed seat in front. </DL>
<A NAME="spiderplant">
<B>spider plant,</B> =spiderwort.</DL>
<A NAME="spiderwasp">
<B>spider wasp,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any wasp which stores its nest with spiders for its young. </DL>
<A NAME="spiderweb">
<B>spider web,</B> or <B>spiderweb, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the web spun by a spider; cobweb. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) any design or construction of interwoven lines or parts similar to a spider web. <BR> <I>Ex. Driving a rented car from Tempelhof Airport ... I soon became lost in a spiderweb of new freeways (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spiderweb">
<B>spider-web, </B>transitive verb, <B>-webbed,</B> <B>-webbing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to cover with a network resembling a spider web. <BR> <I>Ex. The Communists have spider-webbed southern China and Laos with roads leading to the Thai and Burmese borders (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spiderwort">
<B>spiderwort, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a genus of erect or trailing plants that bear clusters of blue, purple, or white flowers. One trailing species takes root at the knots of its stems. </DL>
<A NAME="spiderwortfamily">
<B>spiderwort family,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a group of dicotyledonous herbs growing mostly in tropical or subtropical regions. The family includes the dayflower, wandering Jew, and spiderwort. </DL>
<A NAME="spidery">
<B>spidery, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>like the legs of a spider; long and thin. <BR> <I>Ex. a person with spidery arms.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>suggesting a spider web or cobweb. <DD><B> 3. </B>full of, or infested with, spiders. <BR> <I>Ex. a spidery attic.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spied">
<B>spied, </B>verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> the past tense and past participle of <B>spy.</B> <BR> <I>Ex. The hunter spied the stag in the distance. Who spied on us?</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spiegel">
<B>spiegel, </B>noun. =spiegeleisen.</DL>
<A NAME="spiegeleisen">
<B>spiegeleisen, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a crystalline and lustrous variety of pig iron containing 15 to 30 per cent of manganese, used in making steel. </DL>
<A NAME="spiegeliron">
<B>spiegel iron,</B> =spiegeleisen.</DL>
<A NAME="spiel">
<B>spiel</B> (1), noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Slang.) <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a talk; speech; harangue, especially one of a cheap, noisy nature. <DD><B> 2. </B>any glib or wordy talk or speech; line. <BR> <I>Ex. a salesman's spiel.</I> <DD><I>v.i., v.t. </I> to talk; speak; say in or as a spiel. <BR> <I>Ex. He's always spieling about the "value of languages" (Sinclair Lewis).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spiel">
<B>spiel</B> (2) or <B>'spiel, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (British, Canadian.) a curling match; bonspiel. <BR> <I>Ex. This year's 'spiel has produced the usual number of close contests (Winnipeg Free Press).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spieler">
<B>spieler</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) <DD><B> 1. </B>(U.S.) a person who spiels. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Australian.) a cardsharper or professional swindler. </DL>
<A NAME="spieler">
<B>spieler</B> (2) or <B>'spieler, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (British, Canadian.) a player in a spiel or curling match; curler. </DL>
<B>spiff, </B>intransitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) to make neat, spruce, or fine; dress neatly or smartly. <BR> <I>Ex. We flatter ourselves that we are spiffed out; at all events we've got our best dresses on (William S. Gilbert).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spiffing">
<B>spiffing, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) excellent; first-rate; very good. <BR> <I>Ex. We like to say that if he shaved his [head] he would make a spiffing monk (Punch).</I> </DL>
<B>spiflication, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) a spiflicating. </DL>
<A NAME="spigelian">
<B>Spigelian, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with Spigelius, (1578-1625), a Belgian anatomist and botanist at Padua. </DL>
<A NAME="spigelianlobe">
<B>Spigelian lobe,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a small lobe on the upper, posterior side of the right lobe of the liver. </DL>
<A NAME="spigot">
<B>spigot, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a valve for controlling the flow of water or other liquid, as from a pipe, tank, or barrel. <BR> <I>Ex. By opening the spigot in the barrel she let out all the wine.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(U.S.) a faucet. <DD><B> 3. </B>a peg or plug used to stop the small hole of a cask, barrel, or keg; bung; spile. </DL>