Meanings
plural spicules
- A sharp, needle-like piece.
- A tiny glass flake formed during the manufacture of glass vials.
- biologyAny of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges.
Tear it up, and put a fragment under the microscope, and, wonder of wonders! see the maze of geometric forms exhibited in the bones of the creature; for who can help regarding the spicules as bones, even though a sponge be invertebrate?
1860, Recreative Science, page 110 - A needle-like mating structure found only in male nematodes.
- astronomyA jet of matter ejected from the photosphere of the sun.
- A small spike of flowers.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsmall pointed structure serving as a skeletal element in various marine and freshwater invertebrates e.g. sponges and corals
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*spey-der.?
- Proto-Italic*speikā
- Latinspīca
- Latinspīcum
- Latinspīculum
- Englishspicule
From Latin spīculum.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian шип
- шип (šip)sharp, needle-like piece
Catalan espícula
- espículaany of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges
Finnish spikula, spikula
- spikulasharp, needle-like piece
- spikulaany of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges
- kalkkineulanenany of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges
French spicule
- spiculeany of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges
German Nadel, Kalknadel
- Nadelsharp, needle-like piece
- Kalknadelany of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges
Italian spicola, spicola
- spicolasharp, needle-like piece
- spicolaany of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges
Latin spīculum
- spīculumsharp, needle-like piece
Polish spikula, spikula
- spikulasharp, needle-like piece
- spikulaany of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges
Portuguese espícula
- espículaany of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges
Romanian spicul
- spiculany of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges
Russian спи́кула, спи́кула
- спи́кула (spíkula)sharp, needle-like piece
- спи́кула (spíkula)any of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges
Spanish espícula, espícula
- espículasharp, needle-like piece
- espículaany of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
spicule. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spicule
“spicule.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spicule. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spicule,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spicule.
Source: spicule on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.