Part 672

To put a spoke in one's wheel, to thwart or obstruct one in the execution of some design.

Spoke, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spoked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Spoking.] To furnish with spokes, as a wheel.

Spo"ken (?), a. [p. p. of Speak.] 1. Uttered in speech; delivered by word of mouth; oral; as, a spoken narrative; the spoken word.

2. Characterized by a certain manner or style in speaking; -- often in composition; as, a pleasant-spoken man.

Methinks you 're better spoken.

Shak.

Spoke"shave` (?), n. A kind of drawing knife or planing tool for dressing the spokes of wheels, the shells of blocks, and other curved work.

Spokes"man (?), n.; pl. Spokesmen (#). [Speak, spoke + man.] One who speaks for another.

He shall be thy spokesman unto the people.

Ex. iv. 16.

Spo"li*ate (?), v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Spoliated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Spoliating (?).] [L. spoliatus, p. p. of spoliare spoil. See Spoil, v. t.] To plunder; to pillage; to despoil; to rob.

Spo`li*a"tion (?), n. [L. spoliatio; cf. F. spoliation. See Spoil, v. t.] 1. The act of plundering; robbery; deprivation; despoliation.

Legal spoliation, which will impoverish one part of the community in order to corrupt the remainder.

Sir G. C. Lewis.

2. Robbery or plunder in war; especially, the authorized act or practice of plundering neutrals at sea.

3. (Eccl. Law) (a) The act of an incumbent in taking the fruits of his benefice without right, but under a pretended title. Blackstone.

(b) A process for possession of a church in a spiritual court.

4. (Law) Injury done to a document.

Spo"li*a*tive (?), a. [Cf. F. spoliatif.] Serving to take away, diminish, or rob; esp. (Med.), serving to diminish sensibily the amount of blood in the body; as, spoliative bloodletting.

Spo"li*a`tor (?), n. One who spoliates; a spoiler.

Spo"li*a*to*ry (?), a. Tending to spoil; destructive; spoliative.

{ Spon*da"ic (?), Spon*da"ic*al (?) }, a. [L. spondaicus, spondiacus, Gr. &?;: cf. F. spondaïque.] 1. Or of pertaining to a spondee; consisting of spondees.

2. Containing spondees in excess; marked by spondees; as, a spondaic hexameter, i. e., one which has a spondee instead of a dactyl in the fifth foot.

Spon"dee (?), n. [L. spondeus, Gr. &?; (sc. &?;), fr. &?; a drink offering, libation, fr. &?; to pour out, make a libation: cf. F. spondée. So called because at libations slow, solemn melodies were used, chiefly in this meter.] (pros.) A poetic foot of two long syllables, as in the Latin word lgs.

Spon*du"lics (?), n. Money. [Slang, U.S.] Bartlett.

{ Spon"dyl, Spon"dyle } (?), n. [L. spondylus, Gr. &?;, &?;: cf. F. spondyle.] (Anat.) A joint of the backbone; a vertebra.

Spong (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] An irregular, narrow, projecting part of a field. [Prov. Eng.]

Sponge (?), n. [OF. esponge, F. éponge, L. spongia, Gr. &?;, &?;. Cf. Fungus, Spunk.] [Formerly written also spunge.] 1. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of Spongiæ, or Porifera. See Illust. and Note under Spongiæ.