spencer

¹

[spen-ser]

noun

1. a short, close-fitting jacket, frequently trimmed with fur, worn in the 19th century by women and children.

2. a man's close-fitting jacket, having a collar and lapels and reaching just below the waist, worn in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

3. an English wig of the 18th century.

Spencer

²

[spen-ser]

noun

Military.

1. a .52 caliber, lever-action repeating rifle and carbine patented in the U.S. in 1860 and used by the Union army and navy in the Civil War.

spencer

³

[spen-ser]

noun

Nautical.

1. a large gaff sail used abaft a square-rigged foremast or abaft the mainmast of a ship or bark.

Spencer

⁴

[spen-ser]

noun

1. Charles, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, 1674–1722, British statesman: prime minister 1718–21.

2. Herbert, 1820–1903, English philosopher.

3. Platt Rogers 1800–64, U.S. calligrapher and teacher of penmanship.

4. a town in NW Iowa.

5. a town in central Massachusetts.

6. a male given name.

Spencer

¹

/ ˈspɛnsə /

noun

1. Herbert. 1820–1903, English philosopher, who applied evolutionary theory to the study of society, favouring laissez-faire doctrines

2. Sir Stanley. 1891–1959, English painter, noted esp for his paintings of Christ in a contemporary English setting

spencer

²

/ ˈspɛnsə /

noun

1. a short fitted coat or jacket

2. a woman's knitted vest

spencer

³

/ ˈspɛnsə /

noun

1. nautical a large loose-footed gaffsail on a square-rigger or barque

Word History and Origins

Origin of spencer¹

1740–50; spencer ¹ in defs. 1, 2 named after G. J. Spencer (1758–1834), English earl; spencer ¹ in def. 3 named after Charles Spencer

Origin of spencer²

First recorded in 1830–40; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of spencer¹

C18: named after Earl Spencer (1758–1834)

Origin of spencer²

C19: perhaps after the surname Spencer

Example Sentences

“Investors are more selective across the board,” said Jackie Spencer, SVB’s head of relationship management for life science and healthcare banking.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

So far this year there has been a wave of cyber attacks targeting big businesses, including retailers such as Marks & Spencer and the Co-op, as well as a key airport systems provider.

Read more on BBC

Marks & Spencer and the Co-op supermarket chain this year are estimated to have cost £300 million and £120 million respectively.

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Over the Easter weekend in April, attackers managed to gain entry to Marks & Spencer's IT systems via a third-party contractor, forcing it to take some networks offline.

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What makes companies like Jaguar Land Rover and Marks & Spencer particularly vulnerable is the way in which their supply chains work.

Read more on BBC