Dictionary.com

spence

[ spens ]
/ spɛns /
Save This Word!

noun British Dialect.

a pantry.

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
The Sunflower State
The Evergreen State
The Magnolia State
The Mockingbird State
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of spence

1350–1400; Middle English spense, spence<Middle French despense pantry <Medieval Latin dīspēnsa, noun use of feminine of dīspēnsus, past participle of dīspendere to weigh out; see dispense

Words nearby spence

spelt, spelter, spelunk, spelunker, Spemann, spence, spencer, Spencer Gulf, Spencerian, spend, spendable

Definition for spence (2 of 2)

Spence
[ spens ]
/ spɛns /

noun

a male given name, form of Spencer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for spence

British Dictionary definitions for spence (1 of 2)

spence
/ (spɛns) /

noun

dialect
  1. a larder or pantry
  2. any monetary allowance
  3. a parlour, esp in a cottage

Word Origin for spence

C14: from Old French despense, from Latin dispendere to distribute; see dispense

British Dictionary definitions for spence (2 of 2)

Spence
/ (spɛns) /

noun

Sir Basil (Unwin). 1907–76, Scottish architect, born in India; designed Coventry Cathedral (1951)
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
See Today's Synonym