dike

¹

or dyke

[ dahyk ]

noun

1. an embankment for controlling or holding back the waters of the sea or a river:

   They built a temporary dike of sandbags to keep the river from flooding the town.

2. a ditch.
3. a bank of earth formed of material being excavated.
4. a causeway.
5. British Dialect. a low wall or fence, especially of earth or stone, for dividing or enclosing land.
6. an obstacle; barrier.
7. Geology.
   1. a long, narrow, cross-cutting mass of igneous rock intruded into a fissure in older rock.
   2. a similar mass of rock composed of other kinds of material, as sandstone.
8. Australian Slang. a urinal.

verb (used with object)

, diked, dik·ing.

1. to furnish or drain with a dike.
2. to enclose, restrain, or protect by a dike:

   to dike a tract of land.

dike

²

[ dahyk ]

noun

, Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.

1. dyke ².

dike

/ daɪk /

noun

1. a variant spelling of dyke 1

dike

/ dīk /

1. A body of igneous rock that cuts across the structure of adjoining rock, usually as a result of the intrusion of magma. Dikes are often of a different composition from the rock they cut across. They are usually on the order of centimeters to meters across and up to tens of kilometers long.
2. See illustration at batholith
3. An embankment of earth and rock built to prevent floods or to hold irrigation water in for agricultural purposes.

Other Words From

• diker noun
• un·diked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dike¹

before 900; Middle English dik ( e ), Old English dīc < Old Norse dīki; akin to ditch

Related Words

• barrier
• ditch
• dyke
• levee