piked
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pike 1
(pīk)n.
A long spear formerly used by infantry.
tr.v. piked, pik·ing, pikes
To attack or pierce with a pike.
[French pique, from Old French, from piquer, to prick; see pique.]
piked adj.
pike 2
(pīk)n. pl. pike or pikes
1. A freshwater game and food fish (Esox lucius) of the Northern Hemisphere that has a long snout and attains a length of over 1.2 meters (4 feet). Also called northern pike.
2. Any of various fishes closely related to this fish, such as the muskellunge or the pickerels.
3. Any of various fishes that resemble this fish.
[Middle English, perhaps from Old English pīc, sharp point (from its shape).]
pike 3
(pīk)n.
1. A turnpike.
2. Archaic
a. A tollgate on a turnpike.
b. A toll paid.
intr.v. piked, pik·ing, pikes
Idiom: To move quickly.
come down the pike Slang
To come into prominence: "a policy ... allowing for little flexibility if an important new singer comes down the pike" (Christian Science Monitor).
[Short for turnpike.]
pike 4
(pīk)n. Chiefly British
A hill with a pointed summit.
[Middle English, possibly of Scandinavian origin.]
pike 5
(pīk)n.
A spike or sharp point, as on the tip of a spear.
[Middle English, from Old English pīc.]
pike 6
(pīk)n.
A mid-air position in sports such as diving and gymnastics in which the athlete bends to touch the feet or grab the calves or back of the thighs while keeping the legs together and straight.
[Probably from pike (from the resemblance of the position to the fish's head ).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.