# spile
## English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /spaɪl/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)
* Rhymes: -aɪl

### Etymology 1

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

#### Noun

spile (plural spiles)
* (obsolete or dialectal, Cumbria, Lancashire) A splinter.
* A spigot or plug used to stop the hole in a barrel or cask.
** [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC: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.
* (US) A spout inserted in a maple (or other tree) to draw off sap.
** 2023, Ray Mears, chapter 2, in British Woodland, Ebury Spotlight, →ISBN:Now, chamfering one end of the elderberry tube slightly to fit, I push it into the hole and wait. After a few seconds sap will begin to drip from the end of the tube, a tangible flow of life and vitality. […] Beneath the tube, properly called a spile, I place my cup to catch the drips.

#### Verb

spile (third-person singular simple present spiles, present participle spiling, simple past and past participle spiled)
* To plug (a hole) with a spile.
* To draw off (a liquid) using a spile.
* To provide (a barrel, tree etc.) with a spile.

### Etymology 2

Alteration of pile, after Etymology 1, above.

#### Noun

spile (plural spiles)
* A pile; a post or girder.
** 1873, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Palmetto-Leaves:The bottom of the river is of hard, sparkling white sand, into which spiles are easily driven; and the building and keeping up of such a wharf is a trifling trouble...
** 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.

#### Verb

spile (third-person singular simple present spiles, present participle spiling, simple past and past participle spiled)
* (transitive) To support by means of spiles.
* (transitive) To drive piles into.

### Etymology 3

Alteration of spoil.

#### Verb

spile (third-person singular simple present spiles, present participle spiling, simple past and past participle spiled)
* (US, dialect, transitive, intransitive) spoil.

### Anagrams

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

## Danish
### Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

### Verb

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

## Middle English
### Alternative forms

* spil, spyl

### Etymology

From spilen. Alternatively from an Old English *spil, from Proto-West Germanic *spil.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /spiːl/, /spil/

### Noun

spile
* (rare) amusement, entertainment, celebration

#### References

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