spelk

plural spelks

1. CumbriaNorthumbriaA splinter, usually of wood.
2. CumbriaNorthumbriaA wooden splinter caught under the skin.
3. Northern EnglishA rod or switch.
4. space flightUnusably short lengths of fibre-reinforced material, such as prepreg.

present singular third person spelks · participle present spelking · participle past spelked · past spelked

1. Northern EnglishtransitiveTo use a spelk in or on.

   A spelk is often a hazel of two or three years' growth. It is pointed at each end, and is three or four feet long, and is placed at right angles with the thatch to hold it down. Sometimes a bit of very neat work is displayed in the spelking of the thatch […]

   1884, Notes and Queries, page 193