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dike

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dike¹

  • /daɪk/ UK, US

Rhymes with -aɪk

Where it comes from

From Northern Middle English dik and dike (“ditch”), from Old Norse díki (“ditch”). Influenced by Middle Dutch dijc (“ditch; dam”) and Middle Low German dīk (“dam”). See also ditch.

noun dikes

  1. US, standard US standard spelling of dyke In 1574, the duke of Alva laid siege to Leiden to gain control of Holland's most beautiful and prosperous city. To relieve the siege, William of Orange and his followers opened the city's protective dikes to flush out—literally—the surrounding Spanish forces.

verb dikes · diking · diked

  1. US, standard US standard spelling of dyke Lakeside water-filtration plants, an 11,000-acre diked airport east of 55th Street, slash-and-bulldoze highway projects through Jackson and Lincoln parks—these and many another grandiose project leapt from the sketchbooks of city planners.

dike²

  • /daɪk/ UK, US

Rhymes with -aɪk

Where it comes from

Of uncertain etymology, first attested in mid-19th century Virginia. Possibly a variant of deck and deck out or influenced by them.

verb dikes · diking · diked

  1. US, dialectal, obsolete, slang To be well dressed.

noun dikes

  1. alternative Alternative form of deck: (US dialect slang, obsolete) A well-dressed man.

    Similar: dapperling, macaroni, toff, barbermonger, beau, blade, blood, buck, carpet knight, cockscomb, dandy, dike

  2. US, dialectal, obsolete, slang Formalwear or other fashionable dress.
  3. alternative Alternative form of dyke, Alternative form of deck: (slang, usually derogatory) a masculine woman; a lesbian.

dike³

  • /daɪk/ UK, US

Rhymes with -aɪk

Where it comes from

Contraction of diagonal + cutters.

verb dikes · diking · diked

  1. slang To cut or remove using dikes.

noun dikes

  1. abbreviation, contraction, slang Contraction of diagonal cutters “The word ‘dikes’ is widely used to mean ‘diagonal cutters’, a kind of wire cutter.”

Dike⁴

  • /daɪk/ UK

Sounds like dike · Rhymes with -aɪk

Where it comes from

From Middle English (see the noun dike). Compare Dyke.

proper noun

  1. A topographic surname from Middle English for someone living near a dike.

Dike⁵

  • /ˈdaɪkiː/

Rhymes with -aɪki

Where it comes from

From Ancient Greek Δίκη (Díkē, literally “Justice; Order; Judgement”).

proper noun Dikê · Dikē

  1. Greek The goddess/personification of justice, order and judgement and one of the Horae. She is a daughter of Zeus and Themis, and her sisters are Eirene and Eunomia. Her Roman counterpart is Justitia.
  2. 99 Dike, a main belt asteroid.
  3. poetic justice, order and judgement.

Opposite: Adikia

Thesaurus

proper noun

Opposite: Adikia

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Cite this
MLA

"dike." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dike. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

dike. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dike

Chicago

"dike." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dike.

BibTeX
@misc{dike_2026,
  title = {dike},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dike},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}