SPOKE, preterit tense of speak. SPOKE, noun [G., this word, whose radical sense is to shoot or thrust, coincides with spike, spigot, pike, contracted from to spew.] 1. The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. 2. The spar or round of a ladder. [Not in use in the United States.]
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI