spencer

[spen-ser]

noun

a short, close-fitting jacket, frequently trimmed with fur, worn in the 19th century by women and children.
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.
an English wig of the 18th century.

Origin of spencer

1740–50; in defs 1, 2 named after G. J. Spencer (1758–1834), English earl; in def 3 named after Charles Spencer

spencer

[spen-ser]

noun Nautical.

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

Origin of spencer

First recorded in 1830–40; origin uncertain

Spencer

[spen-ser]

noun Military.

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

[spen-ser]

noun

Charles, 3rd Earl of Sunderland,1674–1722, British statesman: prime minister 1718–21.
Herbert,1820–1903, English philosopher.
Platt Rogers [plat] /plæt/, 1800–64, U.S. calligrapher and teacher of penmanship.
a town in NW Iowa.
a town in central Massachusetts.
a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for spencer

Contemporary Examples of spencer

And yes, someone has already called Spencer a “Small Fry,” har har.
Freaking Out About Age Gaps in Gay Relationships Is Homophobic
Samantha Allen
January 9, 2015
For his part, Bratton is disappointed but not surprised that the same narrative is already being mapped onto Fry and Spencer.
Freaking Out About Age Gaps in Gay Relationships Is Homophobic
Samantha Allen
January 9, 2015
Spencer, 27, is variously described as a writer and a stand-up comic.
Meet Stephen Fry’s Future Husband (Who Is Less Than Half His Age)
Tom Sykes
January 6, 2015
Spencer was listed in stable condition up at the hospital as Guilavogui handed out the last copy.
From Ebola Country to NYC’s Subways
Michael Daly
October 25, 2014
Around 11 a.m. Thursday, Spencer determined that he had developed a fever of 100.3.
From Ebola Country to NYC’s Subways
Michael Daly
October 25, 2014

Historical Examples of spencer

Here he found Mr. Spencer just returned from his visit to Sidney.
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
It was the very place where Spencer had first beheld Camilla.
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Its longest exponent is Comte, its broadest Mill and its thickest Spencer.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
Thus, to Spencer, the evolutionist theory contains no immorality.
Initiation into Philosophy
Emile Faguet
With this I left the inn, and got away to a place where I had arranged to wait for Spencer.
Adventures and Recollections
Bill o'th' Hoylus End

British Dictionary definitions for spencer

spencer

noun

a short fitted coat or jacket
a woman's knitted vest

Word Origin for spencer

C18: named after Earl Spencer (1758–1834)

spencer

noun

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

Word Origin for spencer

C19: perhaps after the surname Spencer

Spencer

noun

Herbert. 1820–1903, English philosopher, who applied evolutionary theory to the study of society, favouring laissez-faire doctrines
Sir Stanley. 1891–1959, English painter, noted esp for his paintings of Christ in a contemporary English setting

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

Word Origin and History for spencer

Spencer

type of repeating rifle used in the American Civil War, 1863, named for U.S. gunsmith Christopher Spencer, who, with Luke Wheelock, manufactured them in Boston, Mass. The surname is attested from late 13c. (earlier le Despenser, c.1200), and means "one who dispenses or has charge of provisions in a household." Middle English spence meant "larder, pantry," and is short for Old French despense (French dépense) "expense," from despenser "to distribute" (see dispense). Another form of the word is spender, which also has become a surname.