spencer

¹ American  

[spen-ser] / ˈspɛn sər /

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 American  

[spen-ser] / ˈspɛn sər /

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 American  

[spen-ser] / ˈspɛn sər /

noun

Nautical.

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

---

Spencer ⁴ American  

[spen-ser] / ˈspɛn sər /

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 British  

/ 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 British  

/ ˈspɛnsə /

noun

1. a short fitted coat or jacket

2. a woman's knitted vest

---

spencer ³ British  

/ ˈspɛnsə /

noun

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

---

Etymology

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 spencer³

First recorded in 1830–40; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Austin Beutner, community organizer Rae Huang and reality television star Spencer Pratt.

From Los Angeles Times

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said in an interview with Salt Lake City’s Fox 13 News that the negotiations are “going to be difficult for every state” but that “it will be good to have us all in the room.”

From Los Angeles Times

He said he recently spotted mass-market retailers Zara and Marks & Spencer selling embroidered shirts -- a sign that the trend has trickled down from catwalks to the high street.

From Barron's

The version of Spencer Pittman visible to the world on social media, at least until last month, was familiar to anyone who has lived in a very Christian part of the country.

From Slate

The question of how Spencer Pittman was radicalized is, so far, a slightly confounding one.

From Slate