Spile
/spaɪl/noun
A small wooden peg or spout used to tap a cask, or a stake/peg used in various trades.
Did you know?In older English, a spile was literally a wooden pin or peg, and in brewing and cooperage it became the tool that pierced a cask so the contents could flow out.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*spel-
“to split, peel, or split off”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*spilaz
“a splinter, peg, or small pointed piece of wood”
Old English
OE
spīl
“a peg, pin, or splinter”
Middle English
ME
spile
“a wooden peg or pin, especially one used to tap a cask”
Modern English
English
spile
“a peg or spout used to draw liquid from a cask; also a stake or pin”