I. ˈspīl, esp before pause or consonant -īəl noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably from Dutch spijl stake, peg, from Middle Dutch spile; akin to Middle High German spīl point, Icelandic spila skewer, Greek spilas reef, Latvian spīle wooden peg, Latin spina thorn — more at spine
1. chiefly dialect
a. : a small splinter of wood : spill
b. : a stake or post especially when used for making a fence
2.
a. : a large stake driven into the ground as a support for some superstructure : pile
b. : forepole
3.
a. : a small plug used to stop the vent of a cask : bung
b. : a tapering wooden pin used to stop the hole left in a ship's sheathing by a withdrawn spike or bolt
4. : a small tube or spout inserted in a sugar maple tree for conducting sap
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1.
a. : to plug (as the hole in a cask) with a spile
b. : to draw off (liquor) through a spile
2. : to supply (as a cask) with a spile
3. : to make a small vent in (as a cask)