Will a canon speedlite 188 work on a nikon d7000?

I have an old canon speedlite 188 & want to know if it's in anyway compatible with a new Nikon D7000.

I don't think so. Check the contact points on the bottom of the flash as compared to your hot shoe.
I suspect you'll see they're in different locations.

It might give the full power flash, but other than that it's probably going to be quite limited. I've got a Canon 430EZ that's not compatible with recent Canon cameras let alone any other manufacturer.

No. If you have a D7000, I'd buy a Nikon flash!

Not really, although you may get it to pop in full power mode. This is one of the first dedicated flashes, designed for the Canon A series bodies and the New F1.It does communicate with the camera through two pins to the rear of the main contact, which may or may not give you fits with your Nikon.

If you tape over the back pins and set the flash to manual, it will work. Not much use that way, but possible.

Here is the manual if you want to read more… Http://www.cameramanuals.org/flashes_meters/speedlite_188a.pdf