spier

Inherited from Middle English spier, spyer, spiar, equivalent to spy +‎ -er. Compare Dutch verspieder and bespieder (“spier”), German Späher (“spier”). Compare also Danish spejde (“spy”), Swedish speja (“spy”).

spier (plural spiers)

1. (rare) One who spies; a spy.

• 'spire, Peris, Piers, Pires, Speir, peris, piers, pries, prise, resip, ripes, spire

• Audio

  (file)

spier (plural spiere)

1. muscle

From Middle Dutch spier (“pointed object; blade of grass; long pole; muscle”), from Old Dutch *spīr, from Proto-Germanic *spīraz, *spīrǭ. In Middle Dutch, the word took the meaning "muscle", likely due to the similarities in shape between its earlier meanings and muscle fibers.

• IPA^(key): /spir/, [spiːr]

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: spier
• Rhymes: -ir
• Homophone: Spier

spier f (plural spieren, diminutive spiertje n)

1. muscle (contractile tissue)
2. (archaic) blade (of a plant)

   Synonyms: spriet, halm

3. (archaic) blade of grass

   Synonyms: grasspriet, grashalm

4. spar (pole)

   Synonym: rondhout

• armspier
• beenspier
• buikspier
• bilspier
• hartspier
• oogspier
• gespierd
• spierwit
• spierversterken

• Afrikaans: spier
• → Papiamentu: spir, spier

spier n (uncountable)

1. (dated) the collective of muscles
2. (obsolete) poultry, white meat, the whitish meat of fowl [16th–18th c.]

• prise