Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sike

/saɪk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.10 in modern English

Syllables: sike
IPA: /saɪk/

8

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A gutter or ditch; a small stream that frequently dries up in the summer; the marshy ground or ditch through which such a stream flows.

verb

To sigh or sob.

Archaic

noun

Archaic

det

Such.

intj

Alternative form of psych.

Slang

Example Sentences

"The swankies lap thro' mire and syke, Wow as their heads did birr!"
"[...] a great gathering o' their folk at the Miry-sikes, […]"
"It neither grew in syke nor ditch, Nor yet in ony sheugh;[…]"
"The wind made wave the red weed on the dike. Bedoven in dankès deep was every sike;[…]"
"[…] hills and mountains, moss or mure, bank or syke, sea or shore,[…]"
"The march of that herding is to come from the Rispie syke to the point at Blood syke Bottom to the stone syke-head."

Etymology

From Northern Middle English sike, from Old English sīċ (see sitch), possibly also from or related to Old Norse sík; both from Proto-Germanic *sīką (“slow flowing water; trickle”). Cognate with Norwegian sik. Compare Scots sheuch.

Origin

Source language: Old English

Word Breakdown

Root: sike, sīċ, sík, *sīką, siken, sīcan

Usage

Inflected Forms

sikes (plural) syke (alternative) sikes (present, singular) siking (participle, present) siked (participle, past) siked (past)

Homonyms

psych cyc

Rhymes With

like mike strike unlike bike alike spike hike dog spike dislike rail spike mic

Questions

How do you pronounce sike?: The recorded pronunciation is /saɪk/.
What does sike mean?: A gutter or ditch; a small stream that frequently dries up in the summer; the marshy ground or ditch through which such a stream flows.
Where does sike come from?: It is traced to Old English.

How to pronounce sike

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “sike”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/saɪk/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “sike”.
Repeat and practice — Say “sike” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.