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wort family, with the leaves all radical, and the small yellow or white flowers in a long spike (Aletris farinosa and A. aurea). Called sometimes star grass, blackroot, blazing star, and unicorn root.

A genus of grasses bearing spikes of flowers resembling the cornucopia in form.

The spike or head of any cereal (as, wheat, rye, barley, Indian corn, etc.), containing the kernels. First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. Mark iv. 28.

s hands, to pass, often suddenly or unexpectedly, into one's ownership or control; as, to spike cannon when they are likely to fall into the hands of the enemy. -- To fall in with. (a) To meet with accidentally; as, to fall in with a friend. (b) (Naut.) To meet, as a ship; also, to discover or come near, as land. (c)…

-- Finger alphabet. See Dactylology. -- Finger bar, the horizontal bar, carrying slotted spikes, or fingers, through which the vibratory knives of mowing and reaping machines play. -- Finger board (Mus.), the part of a stringed instrument against which the fingers press the strings to vary the tone; the keyboard of a…

military weapon, like the common flail, often having the striking part armed with rows of spikes, or loaded. Fairholt. No citizen thought himself safe unless he carried under his coat a small flail, loaded with lead, to brain the Popish assassins. Macaulay.

which has not been folded. -- Flat rail, a railroad rail consisting of a simple flat bar spiked to a longitudinal sleeper. -- Flat rods (Mining), horizontal or inclined connecting rods, for transmitting motion to pump rods at a distance. Raymond. -- Flat rope, a rope made by plaiting instead of twisting; gasket; sen…

the texture or nature of, a leaf; having leaves intermixed with flowers; as, a foliaceous spike.

erbs of the Old World, with finely dissected leaves and small flowers in dense racemes or spikes. F. officinalis is a common species, and was formerly used as an antiscorbutic. Climbing fumitory (Bot.), the Alleghany vine (Adlumia cirrhosa); a biennial climbing plant with elegant feathery leaves and large clusters of p…

A spike on a gauntlet; a gadling. Fairholt.

covering of the flowers or seeds of grain and grasses; esp., an outer husk or bract of a spikelt. Gray.

One of the pelets or inner chaffy scales of the flowers or spikelets of grasses.

blossoms. -- Golden club (Bot.), an aquatic plant (Orontium aquaticum), bearing a thick spike of minute yellow flowers. -- Golden cup (Bot.), the buttercup. -- Golden eagle (Zoöl.), a large and powerful eagle (Aquila Chrysaëtos) inhabiting Europe, Asia, and North America. It is so called from the brownish yellow ti…

leaves, from the center of which arises a long stem, bearing at its summit a dense flower spike looking somewhat like a large cat-tail. These plants are often called "blackboys" from the large trunks denuded and blackened by fire. They yield two kinds of fragrant resin, called Botany-bay gum, and Gum Acaroides.…

A door with an opening over it; a half door, sometimes set with spikes on the upper edge. In at the window, or else o'er the hatch. Shak.

Having one of the two florets in the same spikelet neuter, and the other unisexual, whether male or female; -- said of grasses.

A beam or bar armed with iron spikes, and turning on a pivot; - - used to block up a passage.

A kind of gate or portcullis, having iron bars, like a harrow, studded with iron spikes. It is hung above gateways so that it may be quickly lowered, to impede the advance of an enemy. Farrow.

A beam with projecting spikes, used to make a breach impassable.

A bulbous plant of the genus Hyacinthus, bearing beautiful spikes of fragrant flowers. H. orientalis is a common variety.