n. & v.
--n.
1. a wooden peg or spigot.
2 a large timber or pile for driving into the ground.
3 US a small spout for tapping the sap from a sugar-maple etc.
--v.tr. make a spike-hole in (a cask etc.) in order to draw off liquid.
Etymology: MDu., MLG, wooden peg etc.: in sense 'pile' app. alt. of PILE(2)