Dictionary.com

sprag

1
[ sprag ]
/ spræg /
Save This Word!

noun
a pole or bar hinged to the rear axle of a cart or the like in such a way that it can brace the vehicle against a road to prevent it from rolling downhill.
Mining. a short timber for propping up loose walls or spacing two sets.
verb (used with object), spragged, sprag·ging.
to prop, support, or immobilize (a vehicle) by means of a sprag.
verb (used without object), spragged, sprag·ging.
to slow a vehicle by means of a sprag or, sometimes, by bracing the feet against the ground.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of sprag

1
1835–45; special use of dial. sprag twig (Old English spræcg shoot, slip); akin to sprig

Other definitions for sprag (2 of 2)

sprag2
[ sprag ]
/ spræg /

noun
a young cod.

Origin of sprag

2
First recorded in 1700–10; special use of dialectal sprag “twig, lively young man”; see sprag1 and for meaning, cf. sprig
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sprag in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sprag

sprag
/ (spræɡ) /

noun
a chock or steel bar used to prevent a vehicle from running backwards on an incline
a support or post used in mining
NZ mining a steel bar inserted into the wheels of a box to act as a brake

Word Origin for sprag

C19: of uncertain origin
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
FEEDBACK