Noun | 1. | spike - a transient variation in voltage or current |
2. | spike - sports equipment consisting of a sharp point on the sole of a shoe worn by athletes; "spikes provide greater traction" | |
3. | spike - fruiting spike of a cereal plant especially corn | |
4. | spike - (botany) an indeterminate inflorescence bearing sessile flowers on an unbranched axis | |
5. | spike - a sharp rise followed by a sharp decline; "the seismograph showed a sharp spike in response to the temblor" | |
6. | spike - a sharp-pointed projection along the top of a fence or wall | |
7. | spike - a long sharp-pointed implement (wood or metal) | |
8. | spike - any holding device consisting of a long sharp-pointed object | |
9. | spike - a long metal nail | |
Verb | 1. | spike - stand in the way of |
2. | spike - pierce with a sharp stake or point; "impale a shrimp on a skewer" | |
3. | spike - secure with spikes | |
4. | spike - bring forth a spike or spikes; "my hyacinths and orchids are spiking now" Synonyms: spike out | |
5. | spike - add alcohol beverages | |
6. | spike - manifest a sharp increase; "the voltage spiked" |
(jargon) | spike - To defeat a selection mechanism by introducing a (sometimes temporary) device that forces a specific result. The word is used in several industries; telephone engineers refer to spiking a relay by inserting a pin to hold the relay in either the closed or open state, and railroaders refer to spiking a track switch so that it cannot be moved. In programming environments it normally refers to a temporary change, usually for testing purposes (as opposed to a permanent change, which would be called hard-coded). |