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spica

[ spahy-kuh ]

noun

, plural spi·cae [spahy, -see], spi·cas
  1. a type of bandage in the shape of a figure eight, extending from an extremity to the trunk.
  2. Spica, Astronomy. a first-magnitude star in the constellation Virgo.


Spica

1

/ ˈspiːkə /

noun

  1. the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. Distance: 260 light years
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


spica

2

/ ˈspaɪkə /

noun

  1. med a spiral bandage formed by a series of overlapping figure-of-eight turns
  2. botany another word for spike 2
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Spica

/ spī /

  1. A bright bluish-white binary star in the constellation Virgo, with an apparent magnitude of 0.96. Scientific name: Alpha Virginis.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of spica1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin spīca literally, “ear of grain”; spike 2
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Word History and Origins

Origin of spica1

C15: from Latin: ear of corn
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Example Sentences

How much brighter is an ordinary first-magnitude star, such as Aldebaran or Spica, than a star just visible to the naked eye?

The specific name, spicant, is from the Latin spica, “a point.”

In the southeast you will recognize the quadrilateral of Corvus, with the remarkably white star Spica glittering east of it.

The figure-of-eight bandage is used on various parts, and is illustrated in the bandage called spica of the groin, Fig.

The faint star which our larger apertures show about 6' northeast of Spica is of the tenth magnitude.

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spicspicate