On the stillest nights, at nine o'clock, Major Anderson could hear the great bells in the distant witch-cap spire of St. Michael's Church, bastion of Charleston society where planters displayed rank by purchasing pews.—CBS News, 26 Apr. 2024 The disaster caused no casualties, but the Exchange’s signature central spire was reduced to rubble, reports Jan M. Olsen of the Associated Press (AP).—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024 Workers are repairing its spires and broken windows.—Claire Harbage, NPR, 4 Apr. 2024 Pinnacles is known for its namesake rock spires, wildflowers and wildlife, particularly California condors.—USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024 Then to the canola fields of central Idaho, the winding South Fork of east Idaho, a granite spire in north Idaho.—Lauren Melink, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024 The vaults are almost entirely rebuilt and cleaned, a new gilded copper rooster is perched atop the finished tip of the spire, and the wooden attic is redone.—Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024 The top of the tall spire of nearby Grace Cathedral can be seen from the penthouse, as well.—David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 27 Mar. 2024 On Saturday morning, a crane carefully placed a new golden rooster atop the spire of Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral.—Antonia Mufarech, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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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