- The definition of a pike is a summit, mountain or hill with a peak, or a spike or spear, or a slender fish with sharp teeth in the family Esocidae and order Salmoniformes.
- An example of a pike is a major country road.
- An example of a pike is a long hunting spear.
- An example of a pike is an Esox.
- Pike is defined as to pierce or kill with a spear.
An example of pike is to stab a fish with a spear.
nounpl. pike or pikes
- any of a family (Esocidae, order Salmoniformes) of slender, voracious, freshwater bony fishes with a narrow, pointed head and conspicuous, sharp teeth; esp., a species (Esox lucius) of the northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere
- any of various fishes resembling the true pikes, as the walleye
Origin of pikeMiddle English pik, probably ; from pike (see pike), from the pointed head
Origin of pikeMiddle English pike ; from Old English pic, pickax, probably akin to Old French pick, pickax ; from Vulgar Latin an unverified form piccus: see picador
- a peaked summit
- a mountain or hill with a peaked summit
Origin of pikeMiddle English probably ; from Old Norse pik ; from uncertain or unknown; perhaps Old French pique ; from Classical Latin picus: see picador
nounpl. pike pike or pikes
- 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.
- Any of various fishes closely related to this fish, such as the muskellunge or the pickerels.
- Any of various fishes that resemble this fish.
Origin of pikeMiddle English, perhaps from Old English pīc, sharp point (from its shape).
Origin of pikeMiddle English, possibly of Scandinavian origin.
Origin of pikeMiddle English, from Old English pīc.
Origin of pikeProbably from pike2 (from the resemblance of the position to the fish's head ).
Tania Cagnotto of Italy
at the 2009 FINA World
- A very long thrusting spear used two-handed by infantry both for attacks on enemy foot soldiers and as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults. The pike is not intended to be thrown.
- A sharp point, such as that of the weapon.
- Any carnivorous freshwater fish of the genus Esox, especially the northern pike, Esox lucius.
- A turnpike.
- A pointy extrusion at the toe of a shoe, found in old-fashioned footwear.
- (diving) A dive position with knees straight and a tight bend at the hips.
- A large haycock.
(third-person singular simple present pikes, present participle piking, simple past and past participle piked)
- To attack, prod, or injure someone with a pike.
- (Australia, New Zealand, slang, often with "on" or "out") To quit or back out of a promise.
- Don't pike on me like you did last time!
Middle French pique (“long thrusting weapon"), from Old French pic (“sharp point"), and from Old English pÄ«c (“pointed object, pick axe"), ultimately a variant form of pick, with meaning narrowed.
Perhaps a special use of Etymology 1, above; or from an early Scandinavian language, compare Norwegian pik (“summit").
- A surname of multiple origins, including Middle English pike.
Variant of pike