spear

¹

[speer]

noun

1. a long, stabbing weapon for thrusting or throwing, consisting of a wooden shaft to which a sharp-pointed head, as of iron or steel, is attached.

2. a soldier or other person armed with such a weapon; spearman.

   an army of 40,000 spears.

3. a similar weapon or stabbing implement, as one for use in fishing.

4. the act of spearing.

adjective

1. spear side.

verb (used with object)

1. to pierce with or as with a spear.

verb (used without object)

1. to go or penetrate like a spear.

   The plane speared through the clouds.

spear

²

[speer]

noun

1. a sprout or shoot of a plant, as a blade of grass or an acrospire of grain.

verb (used without object)

1. to sprout; shoot; send up or rise in a spear or spears.

spear

¹

/ spɪə /

noun

1. a weapon consisting of a long shaft with a sharp pointed end of metal, stone, or wood that may be thrown or thrust

2. a similar implement used to catch fish

3. another name for spearman

verb

1. to pierce (something) with or as if with a spear

spear

²

/ spɪə /

noun

1. a shoot, slender stalk, or blade, as of grass, asparagus, or broccoli

Other Word Forms

• spearer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of spear¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun spere, sper(re), Old English spere; cognate with Dutch, German speer

Origin of spear²

First recorded in 1640–50; variant of spire ¹, perhaps influenced by spear ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of spear¹

Old English spere; related to Old Norse spjör spears, Greek sparos gilthead

Origin of spear²

C16: probably variant of _spire ¹ , influenced by _spear ¹

Example Sentences

He also "didn't want to be standing on stage holding a spear for the rest of my life, in wrinkled tights, I just wanted to have a bit of a life".

Read more on BBC

Jackson no longer has a face, but his hair is speared by a portion of his horse’s upper thigh.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Crucially, the company can be the tip of the spear for its partners to secure contracts and win customers.

Read more on Barron's

That database only tracks "unprovoked" incidents – excluding those potentially encouraged by humans through activities such as spear fishing – but a fuller database of all recorded shark interactions in Australia is maintained by Taronga Conservation Society.

Read more on BBC

Nothing new there--California’s very name was cooked up in a 15th-Century Spanish novella that describes a rich land ruled by Queen Calafia and Amazons armed with golden spears.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bayonet 
• blade 
• dart 
• harpoon 
• skewer