span

¹

[span]

noun

1. the distance between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully extended.

2. a unit of length corresponding to this distance, commonly taken as 9 inches (23 centimeters).

3. a distance, amount, piece, etc., of this length or of some small extent.

   a span of lace.

4. Civil Engineering, Architecture.

   1. the distance between two supports of a structure.

   2. the structure so supported.

   3. the distance or space between two supports of a bridge.

5. the full extent, stretch, or reach of anything.

   a long span of memory.

6. Aeronautics.,  the distance between the wing tips of an airplane.

7. a limited space of time, as the term or period of living.

   Our span on earth is short.

8. Mathematics.,  the smallest subspace of a vector space that contains a given element or set of elements.

verb (used with object)

spanned, spanning 

1. to measure by the hand with the thumb and little finger extended.

2. to encircle with the hand or hands, as the waist.

3. to extend over or across (a section of land, a river, etc.).

4. to provide with something that extends over.

   to span a river with a bridge.

5. to extend or reach over (space or time).

   a memory that spans 90 years.

6. Mathematics.,  to function (in a subspace of a vector space) as a span.

7. Archery.,  to bend (the bow) in preparation for shooting.

span

²

[span]

noun

1. a pair of horses or other animals harnessed and driven together.

   Synonyms: team

span

³

[span]

verb

Archaic.

1. a simple past tense of spin.

Span.

⁴

abbreviation

1. Spaniard.

2. Spanish.

span

¹

/ spæn /

noun

1. the interval, space, or distance between two points, such as the ends of a bridge or arch

2. the complete duration or extent

   the span of his life

3. psychol the amount of material that can be processed in a single mental act

   apprehension span

   span of attention

4. short for wingspan

5. a unit of length based on the width of an expanded hand, usually taken as nine inches

verb

1. to stretch or extend across, over, or around

2. to provide with something that extends across or around

   to span a river with a bridge

3. to measure or cover, esp with the extended hand

Span.

²

abbreviation

1. Spanish

span

³

/ spæn /

noun

1. a team of horses or oxen, esp two matched animals

span

⁴

/ spæn /

verb

1. archaic,  a past tense of spin

Word History and Origins

Origin of span¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun spanne, sponne, spayn, Old English span(n), spon(n); cognate with German Spanne, Dutch span, Old Norse spǫnn; the verb is derivative of the noun

Origin of span²

An Americanism dating to 1760–70; from Dutch: “team (of oxen, horses)”

Word History and Origins

Origin of span¹

Old English spann; related to Old Norse sponn, Old High German spanna

Origin of span²

C16 (in the sense: yoke): from Middle Dutch: something stretched, from spannen to stretch; see _span ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see spick and span.

Synonym Study

See pair.

Example Sentences

To test it, he played a Tchaikovsky concerto, spanning its high and middle registers, finding sounds he “didn’t even know violins were capable of.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Gramma, a Galápagos tortoise whose life at the San Diego Zoo spanned more than 20 presidents, two world wars and two pandemics, has died.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

India's hugely popular star Dharmendra was lovingly known as the "He-Man" of Bollywood, thanks to his roles in a string of action movies that cemented his legacy spanning more than six decades and 250 films.

Read more on Barron's

Scheel notes that people today often picture the Viking Age, which is generally defined as spanning the 8th to the 11th century, in very specific ways shaped by films, series, video games and museum presentations.

Read more on Science Daily

As soon as they leave the beach where they hatch, young loggerheads begin journeys that span thousands of kilometers and can continue for decades.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• interval 
• length 
• period 
• space 
• spell 
• stretch 
• term