Spar Definition

spär
sparred, sparring, spars
noun
spars
Any pole, as a mast, yard, boom, or gaff, supporting or extending a sail of a ship.
Webster's New World
A usually metal pole used as part of a crane or derrick.
American Heritage
Any of the main structural beams attached to the fuselage of an airplane to support the wings.
Webster's New World
Any shiny, crystalline, nonmetallic mineral that cleaves easily into chips or flakes.
Calcspar.
Webster's New World
A motion of attack or defense in boxing.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
verb
sparred, sparring, spars
To supply with spars.
American Heritage
To fight with an opponent in a short bout or practice session, as in boxing or the martial arts.
American Heritage
To box with jabbing or feinting movements, landing few heavy blows, as in exhibition or practice matches.
Webster's New World
To fasten with a bolt.
American Heritage
To make boxing or fighting motions without hitting one's opponent.
American Heritage

Other Word Forms of Spar

Noun

Singular:
spar
Plural:
spars

Origin of Spar

  • From Middle English sparre (“spar, rafter, beam") (noun), sparren (“to close, bar") (verb), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sparrô (“stake, beam"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)par- (“beam, log"). Compare Dutch spar (“balk"), German Sparren (“rafter, spar"), Danish sparre (“spar"). Perhaps also compare spear, park.

    From Wiktionary

  • From Middle English sparren (“to thrust or strike rapidly"), from Old English sperran, spirran, spyrran (“to strike, strike out at, spar"), related to Low German sparre (“a struggling, striving"), German sich sperren (“to struggle, resist, oppose"), Icelandic sperrask (“to kick out at, thrust, struggle").

    From Wiktionary

  • From Middle Low German spar, sper (“spar"); or from a backformation of sparstone (“spar"), from Middle English sparston (“gypsum, chalk"), from Old English spærstān (“gypsum"). Related to German Sparkalk (“plaster"), Old English spæren (“of plaster, of mortar").

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English sparren to thrust or strike rapidly perhaps from obsolete French esparer to kick from Old Italian sparare to fling s- intensive pref. sforzando parare to ward off parry

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Contraction of Latin semper parātus always prepared, the motto of the US Coast Guard semper always parātus prepared

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Low German from Middle Low German Old English spær- (in spær-stān gypsum)

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Middle English sparre rafter

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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