spareness

Variant of spare

transitive verb spared, sparing

  1. to treat with mercy or leniency; refrain from killing, injuring, troubling, or distressing; save
  2. to save or free a person from (something): to spare someone trouble
  3. to refrain from, omit, avoid using, or use frugally: to spare no effort
  4. to give up the use or possession of; part with or give up conveniently: able to spare a cup of sugar

Origin: ME sparien < OE sparian, akin to spær, thrifty, Ger sparen, to save: see space

intransitive verb

  1. to practice close economy; be frugal or sparing
  2. to be merciful or restrained, as in punishing

adjective sparer, sparest

  1. not in regular use or immediately needed; extra: a spare room, a spare tire
  2. not taken up by regular work or duties; free: spare time
  3. frugal; meager; scanty: to live on spare rations
  4. not fleshy; lean; thin
  5. economical in style; using simple language and a minimum of words; restrained

noun

  1. a spare, or extra, part, thing, etc.
  2. Bowling
    1. the act of knocking down all the pins with two consecutive rolls of the ball
    2. a score so made

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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