# dykes

Pronunciation: say "DYKS" /daɪks/

## Noun

1. Plural of dyke. *(UK)* — plural of dyke
   - Simple: Plural of dyke. Use it for more than one dyke, such as banks that hold back the sea.
   - _Miles of earthen dykes protect the low farmland from winter storms at sea._
   - _Geologists traced several dark dykes cutting across the paler granite of the cliff._
2. Diagonal cutting pliers, a type of wire cutters.
   - Simple: A hand tool like pliers that is used to cut wire.
   - _Use a sturdy pair of dykes to trim the leads flush with the circuit board._
   - _Cheap dykes will chip if you try to cut thick steel wire with them._

## Origin

Likely a blend of diagonal and cut, influenced by dyke and dike.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/dykes (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).