dyke

dyke
1.
n. & v. (also dike)
—n.
1 a long wall or embankment built to prevent flooding, esp. from the sea.
2 a a ditch or artificial watercourse. b Brit. a natural watercourse.
3 a a low wall, esp. of turf. b a causeway.
4 a barrier or obstacle; a defence.
5 Geol. an intrusion of igneous rock across sedimentary strata.
6 esp. Austral. sl. a lavatory.
—v.tr. provide or defend with a dyke or dykes.
Etymology: ME f. ON diacutek or MLG dik dam, MDu. dijc ditch, dam: cf. DITCH
2.
n. (also dike) sl. a lesbian.
Etymology: 20th c.: orig. unkn.

* * *

dyke etc.,
a frequent spelling of dike n.1, etc.

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • dyke — [ dik; dajk ] n. m. • 1759; dike 1768; mot angl. « digue » ♦ Géol. Roche éruptive qui fait saillie à la surface du sol et qui affecte la forme d une épaisse muraille ou d une colonne. ⇒ neck. ● dyke nom masculin (anglais dyke, digue) Filon de… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • dyke — s.n. (geol.) Filon de lavă injectată şi consolidată în crăpătura unui con vulcanic, care, prin eroziunea terenurilor, rămâne în relief ca un zid. ♦ Dig mic. [pron. daic. / < engl. dyke]. Trimis de LauraGellner, 25.02.2005. Sursa: DN  DYKE… …   Dicționar Român

  • dyke — Ⅰ. dyke [1] (also dike) ► NOUN 1) an embankment built to prevent flooding from the sea. 2) an earthwork serving as a boundary or defence: Offa s Dyke. 3) a ditch or watercourse. 4) Geology an intrusion of igneous rock cutting across existing… …   English terms dictionary

  • Dyke — Dyke, n. See {Dike}. The spelling dyke is restricted by some to the geological meaning. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dyke — dyke; van·dyke; dyke·reeve; …   English syllables

  • dyke — dyke, dike In the meaning ‘embankment’, dyke is the preferred form. This is also true of the different (slang) word dyke, meaning ‘a lesbian’ …   Modern English usage

  • dyke — (n.) 1931, American English, perhaps a shortening of morphadike, dialectal garbling of HERMAPHRODITE (Cf. hermaphrodite); but bulldyker engage in lesbian activities is attested from 1921, and a source from 1896 lists dyke as slang for the vulva.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Dyke — (spr. daik), Sir William Hart , Baronet, engl. Staatsmann, geb. 1837, studierte in Oxford und wurde 1865 ins Unterhaus gewählt, wo er der konservativen Partei beitrat. Er war von 1874–80 Sekretär im Schatzamt unter Lord Beaconsfield und fungierte …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Dyke —   [daɪk, englisch] der, (s)/ s, Dike [daɪk], Geologie: Gang …   Universal-Lexikon

  • dyke — dike [daık] n [Sense: 1, 3; Origin: Old English dic ditch, dike ] [Sense: 2; Date: 1900 2000; Origin: Probably from morphadyke male and female person, homosexual (1900 2000), from hermaphrodite] 1.) a wall or bank built to keep back water and… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • dyke — [ daık ] noun count 1. ) OFFENSIVE an offensive word for a LESBIAN (=woman who is gay) 2. ) another spelling of dike …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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