spud

[ spuhd ]

/ spʌd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spud ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Informal. a potato.

a spadelike instrument, especially one with a narrow blade, as for digging up or cutting the roots of weeds.

a chisellike tool for removing bark.

a pointed leg or stake for staying or supporting dredging or earth-boring machinery.

a short pipe, as for connecting a water pipe with a meter.

Surgery. an instrument having a dull flattened blade for removing substances or foreign bodies from certain parts of the body, as wax from the ear.

verb (used with object), spud·ded, spud·ding.

to remove with a spud.

Verb Phrases

spud in, to set up earth-boring equipment, especially for drilling an oil well.

RELATED WORDS

potato, tater

Nearby words

Origin of spud

1400–50; late Middle English spudde short knife < ?

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spud

"Yellah," Spud had said, but the description was no longer apt.
The Finding of Haldgren|Charles Willard Diffin
The jack-by-the-hedge is usually confined to the vicinity of the fences, and may be removed by the hand or spud.
Science and Practice in Farm Cultivation|James Buckman
Foreign bodies lodged on the surface of the cornea can be removed easily under cocaine with a spud.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
When they heard of this demand for money from the rascally lawyer, Stanley and Spud were as angry as the others.
The Rover Boys on a Tour|Arthur M. Winfield

"Give us what you have," said Spud, and clearing his throat several times, Songbird began.
The Rover Boys in the Air|Edward Stratemeyer

British Dictionary definitions for spud

spud

/ (spʌd) /

noun

an informal word for potato (def. 1)

a narrow-bladed spade for cutting roots, digging up weeds, etc

Also called: spudder a tool, resembling a chisel, for removing bark from trees

verb spuds, spudding or spudded

(tr) to remove (bark) or eradicate (weeds) with a spud

(intr) to drill the first foot of an oil-well

Word Origin for spud

C15 spudde short knife, of unknown origin; applied later to a digging tool, and hence to a potato

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 spud

spud

mid-15c., "small or poor knife," of uncertain origin probably related to Danish spyd, Old Norse spjot "spear," German Spiess "spear, lance"). Meaning "spade" is from 1660s; sense of "short or stumpy person or thing" is from 1680s; that of "potato" is first recorded 1845 in New Zealand English.

Medicine definitions for spud

spud

[ spŭd ]

n.

A blunt triangular knife used for removing foreign bodies from the cornea.