dike (redirected from dikes)

dike ¹ also dyke  (dk)

n.

1.

a. An embankment of earth and rock built to prevent floods.

b. Chiefly British A low wall, often of sod, dividing or enclosing lands.

2. A barrier blocking a passage, especially for protection.

3. A raised causeway.

4. A ditch; a channel.

5. Geology A long mass of igneous rock that cuts across the structure of adjacent rock.

tr.v. diked also dyked, dik·ing also dyk·ing, dikes also dykes

1. To protect, enclose, or provide with a dike.

2. To drain with dikes or ditches.

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[Middle English, from Old English dc, trench; see dhg^w- in Indo-European roots, and from Old Norse dki, ditch.]

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diker n.

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dike ²  (dk)

n. Offensive Slang

Variant of dyke².

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dike  (dk)

1. A body of igneous rock that cuts across the structure of adjoining rock, usually as a result of the intrusion of magma. Dikes are often of a different composition from the rock they cut across. They are usually on the order of centimeters to meters across and up to tens of kilometers long. See illustration at batholith.

2. An embankment of earth and rock built to prevent floods or to hold irrigation water in for agricultural purposes.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	dike - (slang) offensive term for a lesbian who is noticeably masculine butch, dyke derogation, disparagement, depreciation - a communication that belittles somebody or something jargon, lingo, patois, argot, vernacular, slang, cant - a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves); "they don't speak our lingo" gay woman, lesbian, tribade - a female homosexual
	2.	dike - a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea dam, dyke barrier - a structure or object that impedes free movement milldam - dam to make a millpond to provide power for a water mill weir - a low dam built across a stream to raise its level or divert its flow
Verb	1.	dike - enclose with a dike; "dike the land to protect it from water" dyke inclose, shut in, close in, enclose - surround completely; "Darkness enclosed him"; "They closed in the porch with a fence"