Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SPOIL, v.t. [Fr. spolier; It. spogliare; L. spolio; W. yspeiliaw. The sense is probably to pull asunder, to tear, to strip; coinciding with L. vello, or with peel, or with both. See Class Bl, No. 7, 8, 15, 32.]

1. To plunder; to strip by violence; to rob; with of; as, to spoil one of his goods or possessions. My sons their old unhappy sire despise, / Spoil'd of his kingdom, and depriv'd of his eyes. – Pope.
2. To seize by violence; to take by force; as, to spoil one's goods. This mount / With all his verdure spoil'd. – Milton.
3. [Sax. spillan.] To corrupt; to cause to decay and perish. Heat and moisture will soon spoil vegetable and animal substances.
4. To corrupt; to vitiate; to mar. Spiritual pride spoils many graces. – Taylor.
5. To ruin; to destroy. Our crops are sometimes spoiled by insects.
6. To render useless by injury; as, to spoil paper by wetting it.
7. To injure fatally; as, to spoil the eyes by reading.

SPOIL'ED, pp.

Plundered; pillaged; corrupted; rendered useless.

SPOIL'ER, n.

1. A plunderer; a pillager; a robber.
2. One that corrupts, mars or renders useless.

SPOIL'FUL, a.

Wasteful; rapacious. [Little used.] – Spenser.

SPOIL'ING, n.

Plunder; waste.

SPOIL'ING, ppr.

1. Plundering; pillaging; corrupting; rendering useless.
2. Wasting; decaying.

SPOKE, n. [Sax. spaca; D. spaak; G. speiche. This word, whose radical sense is to shoot or thrust, coincides with spike, spigot, pike, and G. speien, contracted from speichen, to spew.]

1. The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. – Swift.
2. The spar or round of a ladder. [Not in use in the United States.]

SPOKE, v. [pret. of Speak.]

SPOK-EN, pp. [of Speak; pron. spo'kn.]

SPOKE-SHAVE, n.

A kind of plane to smooth the shells of blocks.

SPOKES-MAN, n. [speak, spoke, and man.]

One who speaks for another. He shall be thy spokesman to the people. – Exod. iv.

SPO'LI-ATE, v.i.

To practice plunder; to commit robbery. In time of war, rapacious men are let loose to spoliate or commerce.

SPO'LI-ATE, v.t. [L. spolio.]

To plunder; to pillage. – Dict.

SPO'LI-A-TED, pp.

Plundered; robbed.

SPO-LI-A'TION, n.

1. The act of plundering, particularly Of plundering an enemy in time of war.
2. The act or practice of plundering neutrals at sea under authority.
3. In ecclesiastical affairs, the act of an incumbent in taking the fruits of his benefice without right, but under a pretended title. – Blackstone.

SPON-DA'IC, or SPON-DA'IC-AL, a. [See Spondee.]

Pertaining to a spondee; denoting two long feet in poetry.

SPON'DEE, n. [Fr. spondée; It. spondeo; L. spondæus.]

A poetic foot of two long syllables. – Broome.

SPON'DYL, or SPON'DYLE, n. [L. spondylus; Gr. σπονδυλος; It. spondulo.]

A joint of the back bone; a verteber or vertebra. – Coxe.

SPONGE, n. [or v. See SPUNGE.]

SPON'GI-OLE, n. [See Spunge.]

In botany, a supposed expansion of minute parts at the termination of radicles, resembling a spunge, for absorbing the nutriment of plants.

SPONK, n. [a word probably formed on punk.]

Touchwood. In Scotland, a match; something dipped in sulphur for readily taking fire. [See Spunk.]

SPONS'AL, a. [L. sponsalis, from spondeo, to betroth.]

Relating to marriage or to a spouse.

SPON'SI-BLE, a.

Worthy of credit. [Local.]

SPON'SION, n.¹ [L. sponsio, from spondeo, to engage.]

The act of becoming surety for another.

SPON'SION, n.²

In international law, an act or engagement on behalf of a state by an agent not specially authorized for the purpose, or one which exceeds the limits of authority. – Brande.