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dike 1 also dyke (dīk)
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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, dik•ing, dikes also dyked or dyk•ing or dykes
1. To protect, enclose, or provide with a dike.
2. To drain with dikes or ditches.
[Middle English, fromOld Englishdīc, trench; see dhīgw- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots, and fromOld Norsedīki, ditch.]
dikern.
(click for a larger image)
dike1
mafic dikes (the darker rock) in a mountain of granodiorite
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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