spencer1
[spen-ser]
- 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.
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Origin of spencer1
1740–50; in defs 1, 2 named after G. J. Spencer (1758–1834), English earl; in def 3 named after Charles Spencer
spencer2
[spen-ser]
- a large gaff sail used abaft a square-rigged foremast or abaft the mainmast of a ship or bark.
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Origin of spencer2
First recorded in 1830–40; origin uncertain
Spencer1
[spen-ser]
- 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.
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Spencer2
[spen-ser]
- 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.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for spencer
Contemporary Examples
And yes, someone has already called Spencer a “Small Fry,” har har.
For his part, Bratton is disappointed but not surprised that the same narrative is already being mapped onto Fry and Spencer.
Spencer, 27, is variously described as a writer and a stand-up comic.
Spencer was listed in stable condition up at the hospital as Guilavogui handed out the last copy.
Around 11 a.m. Thursday, Spencer determined that he had developed a fever of 100.3.
Historical Examples
Here he found Mr. Spencer just returned from his visit to Sidney.
Night and Morning, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
It was the very place where Spencer had first beheld Camilla.
Night and Morning, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
Its longest exponent is Comte, its broadest Mill and its thickest Spencer.
The Devil's DictionaryAmbrose Bierce
Thus, to Spencer, the evolutionist theory contains no immorality.
Initiation into PhilosophyEmile Faguet
With this I left the inn, and got away to a place where I had arranged to wait for Spencer.
Adventures and RecollectionsBill o'th' Hoylus End
spencer1
- a short fitted coat or jacket
- a woman's knitted vest
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Word Origin
C18: named after Earl Spencer (1758–1834)
spencer2
- nautical a large loose-footed gaffsail on a square-rigger or barque
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Word Origin
C19: perhaps after the surname Spencer
Spencer
- 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
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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
n.
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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper