Spike
/spaɪk/noun
A pointed piece of metal or wood; also, to pierce, fasten, or make spiky.
Did you know?English spike is historically tied to sharp-pointed things and likely came through continental Germanic and Romance pathways, but it does not have a securely attested ancient occult meaning like spell or glamour.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*spīkaz
“a spike or sharp point”
Old English
OE
spīc
“a nail or spike; a sharp point”
Middle Dutch / Middle Low German
MDu / MLG
spīke
“a nail, spike, or pointed object”
Middle English
ME
spike
“a long, thin, pointed metal pin or nail”
Modern English
English
spike
“a sharp-pointed object; to pierce, fasten, or increase sharply”