spile

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablespecialist

   A small spout or tube pushed into a tree to let sap run out, as when making maple syrup.

   Grammar: A specialist word from farming and syrup making.

   Patterns

   • a spile in something

   He hammered a spile into the maple trunk.

   A bucket hung from each spile to catch the sap.

   Metal spiles have replaced wooden ones on most farms.

2. 2nouncountablespecialist

   A wooden peg or plug used to close or vent a hole in a cask or barrel.

   Grammar: Traditional in brewing and cooperage.

   Patterns

   • a spile in something

   The brewer loosened the spile to let the beer breathe.

   A wooden spile sealed the cask.

3. 3nouncountablerare

   A heavy timber pile driven into the ground to support a structure.

   Grammar: Rare building and marine sense.

   Spiles were driven into the mud to hold up the pier.

Word forms

Common combinations

drive a spile

He drove a spile into the cask.

maple spile

The maple spile dripped steadily.

sap spile

A sap spile is tapped into the tree.

wooden spile

The old wooden spile still worked.

Synonyms and how they differ

spigot

A spigot is a tap or faucet and controls flow, while a spile is just a small spout or peg.

tap

A tap is a general device for letting liquid out, and a spile is a smaller, simpler version.

bung

A bung is a stopper for a barrel's hole, which resembles the plug sense of spile.

spout

A spout is a general channel for liquid, while a spile is placed in a tree or cask.

Word family

spile verb

to fit with a spile or tap with one

spiling noun

the act of tapping a tree or fitting a spile

spigot noun

a related tap

Commonly confused: spile or spoil? spile or spill?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “spile”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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