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spar

1
[ spahr ]
/ spɑr /
|
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noun

Nautical. a stout pole such as those used for masts, etc.; a mast, yard, boom, gaff, or the like.
Aeronautics. a principal lateral member of the framework of a wing of an airplane.

verb (used with object), sparred, spar·ring.

to provide or make with spars.

RELATED WORDS

argue, quarrel, contend, bicker, wrangle, box, fight, dispute, contest

Nearby words

  1. spanner,
  2. spanrail,
  3. spanspek,
  4. spansule,
  5. spanworm,
  6. spar buoy,
  7. spar deck,
  8. spar varnish,
  9. spar with,
  10. sparable

Origin of spar

1
1250–1300; Middle English sparre (noun); cognate with German Sparren, Dutch spar, Old Norse sparri
Related formsspar·like, adjective

Definition for spar (2 of 5)

spar

2
[ spahr ]
/ spɑr /

verb (used without object), sparred, spar·ring.

(of boxers) to make the motions of attack and defense with the arms and fists, especially as a part of training.
to box, especially with light blows.
to strike or attack with the feet or spurs, as gamecocks do.
to bandy words; dispute.

noun

Origin of spar

2
1350–1400; Middle English: orig., thrust (noun and v.); perhaps akin to spur1

Definition for spar (3 of 5)

spar

3
[ spahr ]
/ spɑr /

noun

any of various more or less lustrous crystalline minerals: fluorspar.

Origin of spar

3
1575–85; back formation from sparstone spar, Old English spærstān gypsum; compare Middle Low German spar
Related formsspar·like, adjective

Definition for spar (4 of 5)

SPAR

or Spar

[ spahr ]
/ spɑr /

noun

(during World War II) a woman enlisted in the women's reserve of the U.S. Coast Guard (disbanded in 1946).

Origin of SPAR

1942; < Latin S(emper) par(ātus) “Always ready” the Coast Guard motto

Definition for spar (5 of 5)

SpAr

Spanish Arabic.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spar

British Dictionary definitions for spar (1 of 3)

spar

1
/ (spɑː) /

noun

  1. any piece of nautical gear resembling a pole and used as a mast, boom, gaff, etc
  2. (as modifier)a spar buoy
a principal supporting structural member of an aerofoil that runs from tip to tip or root to tip

Word Origin for spar

C13: from Old Norse sperra beam; related to Old High German sparro, Old French esparre

British Dictionary definitions for spar (2 of 3)

spar

2
/ (spɑː) /

verb spars, sparring or sparred (intr)

boxing martial arts to fight using light blows, as in training
to dispute or argue
(of gamecocks) to fight with the feet or spurs

noun

an unaggressive fight
an argument or wrangle
informal a close friend

Word Origin for spar

Old English, perhaps from spur

British Dictionary definitions for spar (3 of 3)

spar

3
/ (spɑː) /

noun

any of various minerals, such as feldspar or calcite, that are light-coloured, microcrystalline, transparent to translucent, and easily cleavableRelated adjective: spathic

Word Origin for spar

C16: from Middle Low German spar; related to Old English spærstān; see feldspar
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012