spile

¹

[ spahyl ]

noun

1. a peg or plug of wood, especially one used as a spigot.
2. a spout for conducting sap from the sugar maple.
3. a heavy wooden stake or pile.
4. Mining. forepole.

verb (used with object)

, spiled, spil·ing.

1. to stop up (a hole) with a spile or peg.
2. to furnish with a spigot or spout, as for drawing off a liquid.
3. to tap by means of a spile.
4. to furnish, strengthen, or support with spiles or piles.

spile

²

[ spahyl ]

verb (used with or without object)

, spiled, spil·ing,

1. spoil.

spile

/ spaɪl /

noun

1. a heavy timber stake or pile
2. a spout for tapping sap from the sugar maple tree
3. a plug or spigot

verb

1. to provide or support with a spile
2. to tap (a tree) with a spile
3. dialect.
   a splinter

Word History and Origins

Origin of spile¹

1505–15; < Middle Dutch or Middle Low German spile splinter, peg; cognate with German Speil

Word History and Origins

Origin of spile¹

C16: probably from Middle Dutch spile peg; related to Icelandic spila skewer, Latin spīna thorn

Example Sentences

He has placed 500 spiles - or taps - on somewhere in the neighborhood of 175 trees.

From Washington Times

They hammered sharp little drippers they called spiles into the holes.

From Literature

Then they drilled holes in the chosen sugar maples and hammered in the taps, or spiles.

From Salon

After my father died, I didn’t know what happened to the handful of spiles he had.

From Literature

English regional words for a small piece of wood under the skin such as "spool", "spile", "speel", "spell", "shiver", "spill" and "splint" are falling out of use in favour of "splinter".

From BBC

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