sprue

¹ American  

[sproo] / spru /

noun

1. Metallurgy.

   1. an opening through which molten metal is poured into a mold.

   2. the waste metal left in this opening after casting.

2. Metalworking. a channel in a forging die permitting the die to clear that part of the rough piece not being forged.

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verb (used with object)

sprued, spruing

1. to cut the sprues from (a casting).

sprue ² American  

[sproo] / spru /

noun

Pathology.

1. a chronic disease, occurring chiefly in the tropics, resulting from malabsorption of nutrients from the small intestine and characterized by diarrhea, ulceration of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, and a smooth, shining tongue; psilosis.

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sprue ¹ British  

/ spruː /

noun

1. a vertical channel in a mould through which plastic or molten metal is introduced or out of which it flows when the mould is filled

2. plastic or metal that solidifies in a sprue

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sprue ² British  

/ spruː /

noun

1. a chronic disease, esp of tropical climates, characterized by flatulence, diarrhoea, frothy foul-smelling stools, and emaciation

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sprue ³ British  

/ spruː /

noun

1. dialect an inferior type of asparagus

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Etymology

Origin of sprue¹

First recorded in 1820–30; origin uncertain

Origin of sprue²

1815–25; < Dutch spruw; cognate with Middle Low German sprūwe tumor

Example Sentences

The fifth of six children, he contracted rickets and tropical sprue, an intestinal disorder, at 4, both caused by vitamin deficiencies from his limited diet, and suffered from brittle bones throughout his life.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2024

Buckets and barrels hold sprue — the overflow from glass molds — and other chunks and shards sorted by color.

From New York Times • Oct. 21, 2022

Was it environmental, yeast, sprue, as yet undiagnosed lymphoma, astrological alignment, stress, or immunological?

From New York Times • Jul. 20, 2010

Autobiography of the Army doctor who started his career by notable experiments with hookworm, capped it by triumphs with tropical sprue.

From Time Magazine Archive

That’s nothing compared to some of the other diseases she says she’s suffered from—tetanus, malaria, sprue, typhus.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García