spence

[ spens ]
/ spɛns /

noun British Dialect.

a pantry.

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a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
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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. 2020

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