What does spica mean?
Spica is a noun with several established but specialized uses. Its original and most traditional sense is an ear or spike of grain, particularly the seed-bearing head of wheat, barley, or a similar cereal. The word can also refer to Spica, a prominent star in the constellation Virgo. In medicine, a spica bandage is a broad bandage wrapped in a figure-of-eight pattern to hold a dressing securely in place. The ordinary sense is literary and somewhat uncommon, so modern speakers will often use spike or ear instead when discussing grain. Spica is useful because it preserves a precise distinction between a plant’s pointed or grain-bearing structure and the broader modern term spike. It also links an ordinary feature of agriculture with highly specific astronomical and medical terminology.
An ear or spike of grain, especially wheat or barley; also, by extension, a pointed or seed-bearing structure in a plant.
"The wind shook the spicas of the ripening barley."
This sense is literary or technical and is less common in everyday usage than spike.
The star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.
"Spica shines in the constellation Virgo."
The astronomical name is conventionally capitalized.
A bandage made with successive turns in a figure-of-eight pattern, used to secure a dressing.
"The nurse applied a spica bandage around his injured knee."
This is a specialized medical term.
The plural is used mainly in botanical and literary contexts when referring to multiple ears or spikes of grain.
"Golden spicas filled the fields after the rain."
Spica names both a golden ear of grain and one of the brightest stars in the night sky.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does spica come from?
Spica comes from Latin spica, meaning an ear of grain or spike, and entered English through scholarly and botanical usage. The Latin word also underlies related forms such as spiculate and spicule, referring to small pointed structures. Its connection with the astronomical name Spica comes from the star’s resemblance to an ear of grain.
Related word forms
How spica is actually used
The general sense is somewhat literary or botanical and is less common in everyday speech than the general word spike. The astronomical and medical uses are specialized and are normally recognizable from context.
Easily confused with spica
A spica is an ear of grain or a related botanical form, while a spike is a broader term for any pointed projection or a grain-bearing structure.