spar Hear it!

spar1 definition

spar (spär)

noun

any shiny, crystalline, nonmetallic mineral that cleaves easily into chips or flakes

Etymology: < MDu or MLowG, akin to OE spær(stan), gypsum, chalk

spar2 definition

spar (spär)

noun

  1. any pole, as a mast, yard, boom, or gaff, supporting or extending a sail of a ship
  2. any of the main structural beams attached to the fuselage of an airplane to support the wings

Etymology: ME sparre < ON sparri or MDu sparre < IE base *sper-, pole, rod > spear, L sparus, short spear

transitive verb sparred, sparring spar′·ring

to equip with spars
spar3 definition

spar (spär)

intransitive verb sparred, sparring spar′·ring

  1. to fight with the feet and spurs: said of a fighting cock
  2. to box with jabbing or feinting movements, landing few heavy blows, as in exhibition or practice matches
  3. to wrangle or dispute

Etymology: ME sparren, prob. < MFr esparer < It sparare, to fling out the hind legs, kick < s- (< L ex-, intens.) + parare, to parry

noun

  1. a sparring match or movement
  2. a dispute
Spar definition

☆ Spar or SPAR (spär)

noun

a woman member of the U.S. Coast Guard

Etymology: < s(emper) par(atus), always prepared, L motto of the U.S. Coast Guard

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

spar Synonyms

spar

n.

sparring match, pugilism, fight, contest; see boxing, dispute, sport 1.


spar

v.

scrap, wrestle, exchange blows; see box 2, fight 2.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

spar Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • thatch: Coppicing, in which thin tree stems were cut and used as thatching spars and hedging binders, still takes place.

Adjective modifier

  • wooden: Inside, the changes are less dramatic than expected, with a new dash that retains the trademark vertical wooden spars.

Modifies a noun

  • box: His work is not simply an arrangement of reality: the transformations implied by the finest spar boxes are also present.

Noun used with modifier

  • wing: This meant mounting the machine gun on the top wing above the pilot's head, or out on a wing spar.
spar usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

Link to this page:

Cite this page:

MLA Style

"spar." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/spar>

APA Style

spar. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/spar

Comments:

Please or Register to post a comment