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Noun
With their tall, deep blue, pink, and purple spires, there’s reason to keep these dramatic blooms in the garden for as long as possible.—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025 Nope, that title still goes to the One World Trade Center, which with its nearly 408-foot spire tops out at 1,776 feet.—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
On April 15, a fire broke out in the attic and spread across the roof and spire before firefighters were alerted.—Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 21 May 2025 Both crosses were removed from the cathedral’s steeple and spire in 1998 for building renovations.—Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 24 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for spire
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English, from Old English spīr; akin to Middle Dutch spier blade of grass
Noun (2)
Latin spira coil, from Greek speira; perhaps akin to Greek sparton rope, esparto
First Known Use
Noun (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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