spire

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

spire, v. i. [L. spirare to breathe. See Spirit.].

 To breathe.  Shenstone.  [1913 Webster]

spire, n. [OE. spire, spir, a blade of grass, a young shoot, AS. spīr; akin to G. spier a blade of grass, Dan. spire a sprout, sprig, Sw. spira a spar, Icel. spīra.].

•  A slender stalk or blade in vegetation; as, a spire grass or of wheat.  [1913 Webster]

  "An oak cometh up a little spire."  [1913 Webster]
•  A tapering body that shoots up or out to a point in a conical or pyramidal form. Specifically (Arch.), the roof of a tower when of a pyramidal form and high in proportion to its width; also, the pyramidal or aspiring termination of a tower which can not be said to have a roof, such as that of Strasburg cathedral; the tapering part of a steeple, or the steeple itself.  Milton.  [1913 Webster]

  "A spire of land that stand apart,
  Cleft from the main."  [1913 Webster]

  "Tall spire from which the sound of cheerful bells
  Just undulates upon the listening ear."  [1913 Webster]
•  A tube or fuse for communicating fire to the chargen in blasting.  [1913 Webster]
•  The top, or uppermost point, of anything; the summit.  [1913 Webster]

  "The spire and top of praises."  [1913 Webster]

spire, v. i. 

 To shoot forth, or up in, or as if in, a spire.  Emerson.  [1913 Webster]
"It is not so apt to spire up as the other sorts, being more inclined to branch into arms."  [1913 Webster]

spire, n. [L. spira coil, twist; akin to Gr. : cf. F. spire.].

•  A spiral; a curl; a whorl; a twist.  Dryden.  [1913 Webster]
•  The part of a spiral generated in one revolution of the straight line about the pole. See Spiral, n.  [1913 Webster]

Spire bearer. (Paleon.) Same as Spirifer.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

spire, n. & v.
--n.
1 a tapering cone- or pyramid-shaped structure built esp. on a church tower (cf. STEEPLE).
2 the continuation of a tree trunk above the point where branching begins.
3 any tapering thing, e.g. the spike of a flower.
--v.tr. provide with a spire.

Derivative

spiry adj.

spire, n.
1 a a spiral; a coil. b a single twist of this.
2 the upper part of a spiral shell.

Etymology

F f. L spira f. Gk speira coil

THESAURUS

spire

acme, antenna tower, anthrophore, apex, apogee, arise, ascend, aspire, axis, barbican, become airborne, belfry, bell tower, blade, bole, bract, bracteole, bractlet, brow, buss the clouds, campanile, cane, cap, carpophore, caudex, caulicle, caulis, claw skyward, climax, cloud nine, cog, colossus, column, comb, come up, cotyledon, crag, crest, crown, culm, culmen, culmination, cupola, curl upwards, derrick, dome, edge, extreme limit, extremity, fang, fire tower, flag, float, floral leaf, fly, fly aloft, foliole, footstalk, frond, funicule, funiculus, gain altitude, glume, go up, grow up, hang, harrow, haulm, heaven, heavens, height, high noon, highest pitch, highest point, hover, involucre, involucrum, jag, kite, lamina, lantern, leaf, leaflet, leafstalk, leave the ground, lemma, levitate, lighthouse, ligule, limit, loom, martello, martello tower, mast, maximum, meridian, minaret, monument, mount, mountaintop, ne plus ultra, needle, no place higher, noon, obelisk, observation tower, pagoda, peak, pecten, pedicel, peduncle, petal, petiole, petiolule, petiolus, pilaster, pile, pillar, pine needle, pinnacle, pitch, plane, point, poise, pole, projection, pylon, pyramid, rake, ratchet, rear, rear up, reed, ridge, rise, rise up, sawtooth, seed leaf, seedstalk, sepal, seventh heaven, shaft, sky, skyscraper, snag, snaggle, soar, spathe, spear, spiral, sprocket, spur, stalk, stand on tiptoe, stand up, standpipe, steeple, stem, stipe, stipula, stipule, stock, straw, stupa, summit, surge, swarm up, sweep up, take off, television mast, tigella, tip, tip-top, tooth, top, tope, tour, tower, trunk, turret, up, upgo, upgrow, upheave, upmost, upper extremity, uppermost, uprise, upspin, upstream, upsurge, upswarm, upwind, utmost, vertex, very top, water tower, windmill tower, zenith, zoom

ROGET THESAURUS

spire

Height

N height, altitude, elevation, eminence, pitch, loftiness, sublimity, tallness, stature, procerity, prominence, colossus, giant, grenadier, giraffe, camelopard, mount, mountain, hill alto, butte, monticle, fell, knap, cape, headland, foreland, promontory, ridge, hog's back, dune, rising ground, vantage ground, down, moor, moorland, Alp, uplands, highlands, heights, knob, loma, pena, picacho, tump, knoll, hummock, hillock, barrow, mound, mole, steeps, bluff, cliff, craig, tor, peak, pike, clough, escarpment, edge, ledge, brae, dizzy height, tower, pillar, column, obelisk, monument, steeple, spire, minaret, campanile, turret, dome, cupola, skyscraper, pole, pikestaff, maypole, flagstaff, top mast, topgallant mast, ceiling, high water, high tide, flood tide, spring tide, altimetry, batophobia, satellite, spy-in-the-sky, high, elevated, eminent, exalted, lofty, tall, gigantic, Patagonian, towering, beetling, soaring, hanging (gardens), elevated, upper, highest, high reaching, insessorial, perching, upland, moorland, hilly, knobby, mountainous, alpine, subalpine, heaven kissing, cloudtopt, cloudcapt, cloudtouching, aerial, overhanging, incumbent, overlying, superincumbent, supernatant, superimposed, prominent, tall as a maypole, tall as a poplar, tall as a steeple, lanky, on high, high up, aloft, up, above, aloof, overhead, airwind, upstairs, abovestairs, in the clouds, on tiptoe, on stilts, on the shoulders of, over head and ears, breast high, over, upwards, from top to bottom, e meglio cader dalle finistre che dal tetto.

Sharpness

N sharpness, acuity, acumination, spinosity, point, spike, spine, spicule, spiculum, needle, hypodermic needle, tack, nail, pin, prick, prickle, spur, rowel, barb, spit, cusp, horn, antler, snag, tag thorn, bristle, Adam's needle, bear grass, tine, yucca, nib, tooth, tusk, spoke, cog, ratchet, crag, crest, arete, cone peak, sugar loaf, pike, aiguille, spire, pyramid, steeple, beard, chevaux de frise, porcupine, hedgehog, brier, bramble, thistle, comb, awn, beggar's lice, bur, burr, catchweed, cleavers, clivers, goose, grass, hairif, hariff, flax comb, hackle, hatchel, heckle, wedge, knife edge, cutting edge, blade, edge tool, cutlery, knife, penknife, whittle, razor, razor blade, safety razor, straight razor, electric razor, scalpel, bistoury, lancet, plowshare, coulter, colter, hatchet, ax, pickax, mattock, pick, adze, gill, billhook, cleaver, cutter, scythe, sickle, scissors, shears, pruning shears, cutters, wire cutters, nail clipper, paper cutter, sword, bodkin, belduque, bowie knife, paring knife, bushwhacker, drawing knife, drawing shave, microtome, chisel, screwdriver blade, flint blade, guillotine, sharpener, hone, strop, grindstone, whetstone, novaculite, steel, emery, sharp, keen, acute, acicular, aciform, aculeated, acuminated, pointed, tapering, conical, pyramidal, mucronate, mucronated, spindle shaped, needle shaped, spiked, spiky, ensiform, peaked, salient, cusped, cuspidate, cuspidated, cornute, cornuted, cornicultate, prickly, spiny, spinous, spicular, thorny, bristling, muricated, pectinated, studded, thistly, briary, craggy, snaggy, digitated, two-edged, fusiform, dentiform, denticulated, toothed, odontoid, starlike, stellated, stelliform, sagittate, sagittiform, arrowheaded, arrowy, barbed, spurred, acinaciform, apiculate, apiculated, aristate, awned, awny, bearded, calamiform, cone-shaped, coniform, crestate, echinate, gladiate, lanceolate, lanciform, awl, awl-shaped, lance-shaped, awl- shaped, scimitar-shaped, sword-shaped, setarious, spinuliferous, subulate, tetrahedral, xiphoid, cutting, sharp edged, knife edged, sharp as a razor, keen as a razor, sharp as a needle, sharp as a tack, sharpened, set.

Ascent

VB ascend, rise, mount, arise, uprise, go up, get up, work one's way up, start up, shoot up, go into orbit, float up, bubble up, aspire, climb, clamber, ramp, scramble, escalade, surmount, shin, shinny, shinney, scale, scale the heights, raise, elevate, go aloft, fly aloft, tower, soar, take off, spring up, pop up, jump up, catapult upwards, explode upwards, hover, spire, plane, swim, float, surge, leap.