Spial, spī′al, n. (obs.) espial: a spy, a scout.
Spica, spī′ka, n. a spiral bandage with reversed turns: (ornith.) a spur.—adjs. Spī′cal, Spī′cāte, -d, arranged in, or having the form of, a spike.—n. Spicā′tum, in ancient masonry, herring-bone work. [L. spicatus, pa.p. of spicāre—spica, ear.]
Spice, spīs, n. an aromatic and pungent vegetable substance used as a condiment and for seasoning food—pepper, cayenne pepper, pimento, nutmeg, mace, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, cassia, &c.: a characteristic touch or taste, smack, flavour: anything that adds piquancy or interest: an aromatic odour.—v.t. to season with spice: to tincture, vary, or diversify.—ns. Spice′-box, an ornamental box for keeping spices: (coll.) a hot-tempered person; Spice′-bush, an aromatic American shrub of the laurel family; Spice′-cake, a cake flavoured with spice of some kind.—adjs. Spiced, impregnated with a spicy odour: over-scrupulous; Spice′ful, aromatic.—ns. Spī′cer, one who seasons with spice; Spī′cery, spices in general: a repository of spices: spiciness; Spice′-tree, an evergreen tree of the Pacific United States, yielding a fine hard wood—the Mountain-laurel, California-laurel, Olive- or Bay-tree, and Cajeput; Spice′-wood, the spice-bush. [O. Fr. espice (Fr. épice)—Late L. species, kinds of goods, spices—L. species, a particular kind, &c.]
Spiciferous, Spiciform, Spicous, &c. See Spike.
Spick, spik, n. a nail, a spike.—adj. tidy, fresh.—adj. Spick′-and-span, new and fresh, brand-new.—Spick-and-span new, i.e. as new as a spike just made and a chip just split. [Spike, nail.]
Spicknel, spik′nel, n. the baldmoney.—Also Spig′nel. [Prob. spike-nail.]
Spicy, spī′si, adj. producing or abounding with spices: fragrant: pungent: piquant, pointed, racy: showy.—adv. Spī′cily.—n. Spī′ciness.
Spider, spī′dėr, n. an arachnid of the order Araneida, the body divided into two distinct parts—an unsegmented cephalo-thorax, bearing six pairs of appendages, and a soft unsegmented abdomen, at the end of which are the spinnerets from each of which numerous 'spinning-spools' ooze forth the viscid fluid which hardens into the silken thread: a frying-pan with feet, a trivet.—ns. Spī′der-catch′er, the wall-creeper; Spī′der-crab, a spider-like crab, or sea-spider with long thin legs; Spī′der-dīv′er, the little grebe, or dabchick; Spī′derdom, spiders collectively.—adj. Spī′dered, cobwebbed.—n. Spī′der-fly, a pupiparous fly, as a bird-louse, &c.—adj. Spī′der-like, like a spider.—ns. Spī′derling, a young spider; Spī′der-mon′key, an American platyrrine monkey, with long slender legs and tail; Spī′der-stitch, a stitch in lace or netting in which threads are carried diagonally and parallel to each other; Spī′der-wasp, a pompilid wasp which fills its nest with spiders for its young; Spī′der-web, the snare spun by the spider; Spī′der-wheel, in embroidery, a circular pattern with radiating lines; Spī′der-work, lace worked by spider-stitch; Spī′der-wort, any plant of the genus Tradescantia, esp. T. virginica, an American perennial with deep-blue or reddish-violet flowers.—adj. Spī′dery, spider-like. [M. E. spither—A.S. spinnan, to spin; cf. Dan. spinder, Ger. spinne.]
Spie, spī, n. (Spens.) a keen glance, the eye. [Spy.]
Spiegeleisen, spē′gl-ī-zen, n. a white cast-iron containing from eight to fifteen per cent. of manganese, largely used in the manufacture of steel by the Bessemer process. [Ger.,—spiegel—L. speculum, a mirror, Ger. eisen, iron.]