I. ˈspī(-ə)r noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English spīr; akin to Middle Dutch spier blade of grass
Date: before 12th century
1. : a slender tapering blade or stalk (as of grass)
2. : the upper tapering part of something (as a tree or antler) : pinnacle
3.
a. : a tapering roof or analogous pyramidal construction surmounting a tower
b. : steeple
a church spire
[
S spire 3a
]
II. intransitive verb
( spired ; spir·ing )
Date: 14th century
: to rise like a spire
III. noun
Etymology: Latin spira coil, from Greek speira; perhaps akin to Greek sparton rope, esparto
Date: 1545
1.
a. : spiral
b. : coil
2. : the inner or upper part of a spiral gastropod shell consisting of all the whorls except the whorl in contact with the body
IV. intransitive verb
( spired ; spir·ing )
Date: 1591
: to rise in or as if in a spiral