spire

Everyday

1. A spire is a tall, pointed, cone-shaped structure on top of a building, usually on a church tower. tree →
2. A spire can be anything tall, thin and pointed, like a rock spire or the tip of a tree. tree →

In the lessons

Church life and buildings: many towns in the UK and Ireland have a church spire you can see from far away; it points upward to heaven. Maths: a spire is often shaped like a cone or a pyramid. Geography: Oxford is called «the city of dreaming spires». Salisbury Cathedral has the tallest church spire in the UK.

Examples

• The church spire rose above the village. tree →
• Salisbury Cathedral has a very tall spire. tree →
• We could see the spire from the motorway. tree →
• Oxford is famous for its spires. tree →
• Lightning struck the spire during the storm. tree →
• Rocky spires stood up from the sea. tree →
• A spire is shaped like a tall cone. tree →
• All they could see was a mass of towers and steeples behind the green walls, and high up above everything the spires and dome of the Palace of Oz. tree →

Note

Countable. Do not confuse with «spiral», «steeple» (the tower and spire together) or «inspire». A spire sits on top of a tower; a steeple usually means the whole tower plus spire.