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Webster 1913 Edition

Spar

Spar

,
Noun.
[OE.
sparre
; akin to D.
spar
, G.
sparren
, OHG.
sparro
, Dan. & Sw.
sparre
, Icel.
sparri
; of uncertain origin. √171. Cf.
Spar
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
(Naut.)
A general term any round piece of timber used as a mast, yard, boom, or gaff.
2.
(Arch.)
Formerly, a piece of timber, in a general sense; – still applied locally to rafters.
3.
The bar of a gate or door.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
Spar buoy
(Naut.)
,
a buoy anchored by one end so that the other end rises above the surface of the water.
–
Spar deck
(Naut.)
,
the upper deck of a vessel; especially, in a frigate, the deck which is continued in a straight line from the quarter-deck to the forecastle, and on which spare spars are usually placed. See under
Deck
.
–
Spar torpedo
(Naut.)
,
a torpedo carried on the end of a spar usually projecting from the bow of a vessel, and intended to explode upon contact with an enemy’s ships.

Spar

,
Verb.
T.
[OE.
sparren
, AS.
sparrian
; akin to G.
sperren
, Icel.
sperra
; from the noun. √171. See
Spara
beam, bar.]
1.
To bolt; to bar.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
2.
To To supply or equip with spars, as a vessel.
☞ A vessel equipped with spars that are too large or too small is said to be oversparred or undersparred.

Spar

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Sparred
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Sparring
.]
[Of uncertain origin; cf. OF.
esparer
to kick, F.
éparer
, or Icel.
sperra
to stretch out the legs, to struggle.]
1.
To strike with the feet or spurs, as cocks do.
2.
To use the fists and arms scientifically in attack or defense; to contend or combat with the fists, as for exercise or amusement; to box.
Made believe to
spar
at Paul with great science.
Dickens.
3.
To contest in words; to wrangle.
[Colloq.]

Spar

,
Noun.
1.
A contest at sparring or boxing.
2.
A movement of offense or defense in boxing.

Webster 1828 Edition

Spar

SP'AR

, [If this word is connected with spare, the primary sense is probably thin. The sense of bar and spar, is however more generally derived from thrusting, shooting in length; so spear likewise. See Bar.]
1.
A stone that breaks into a regular shape; marcasite. This name is popularly given to any crystalized mineral of a shining luster.
2.
A round piece of timber. This name is usually given to the round pieces of timber used for the yards and top-masts of ships.
3.
The bar of a gate.

SP'AR

,
Verb.
T.
To bar; to shut close or fasten with a bar.

SP'AR

,
Verb.
I.
[This is another form of the L. spiro. The primary sense is to urge, drive, throw, propel.]
1.
To dispute; to quarrel in words; to wrangle. [This is the sense of the word in America.]
2.
To fight with preclusive strokes.

Definition 2024

spar

spar

See also: spár, spär, and spår

English

Noun

spar ‎(plural spars)

  1. A rafter of a roof.
  2. A thick pole or piece of wood.
  3. (obsolete) A bar of wood used to fasten a door.
    • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, V.11:
      The Prince staid not his aunswere to devize, / But, opening streight the Sparre, forth to him came […].
  4. (nautical) A general term denoting any linear object used as a mast, sprit, yard, boom, pole or gaff.
  5. (aeronautics) A beam-like structural member that supports ribs in an aircraft wing or other airfoil.
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

spar ‎(third-person singular simple present spars, present participle sparring, simple past and past participle sparred)

  1. (obsolete or dialectal) to bolt, bar.
  2. (transitive) To supply or equip (a vessel) with spars.
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Middle English sparren ‎(“to thrust or strike rapidly”), from Old English sperran, spirran, spyrran ‎(“to strike, strike out at, spar”), related to Low German sparre ‎(“a struggling, striving”), German sich sperren ‎(“to struggle, resist, oppose”), Icelandic sperrask ‎(“to kick out at, thrust, struggle”).

Verb

spar ‎(third-person singular simple present spars, present participle sparring, simple past and past participle sparred)

  1. To fight, especially as practice for martial arts or hand-to-hand combat.
    • 2012 April 15, Phil McNulty, “Tottenham 1-5 Chelsea”, in BBC:
      After early sparring, Spurs started to take control as the interval approached and twice came close to taking the lead. Terry blocked Rafael van der Vaart's header on the line and the same player saw his cross strike the post after Adebayor was unable to apply a touch.
  2. To strike with the feet or spurs, as cocks do.
  3. To contest in words; to wrangle.
Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle Low German spar, sper ‎(“spar”); or from a backformation of sparstone ‎(“spar”), from Middle English sparston ‎(“gypsum, chalk”), from Old English spærstān ‎(“gypsum”). Related to German Sparkalk ‎(“plaster”), Old English spæren ‎(“of plaster, of mortar”).

Noun

spar ‎(plural spars)

  1. (mineralogy) any of various microcrystalline minerals, of light, translucent, or transparent blee, which are easily cleft
  2. (mineralogy) any crystal with no readily discernible faces.
Translations

Anagrams

Danish

Etymology 1

From Spanish espada ‎(“sword”), from Latin spatha, from Ancient Greek σπάθη ‎(spáthē, “blade”).

Noun

spar c (singular definite sparen, plural indefinite sparer)

  1. spade (one of the black suits in a deck of cards)
Inflection

Etymology 2

See spare ‎(“to save,spare”).

Verb

spar

  1. imperative of spare

See also

Suits in Danish · farven, kulører (layout · text)
hjerter ruder spar klør

Dutch

Pronunciation

Noun

spar m ‎(plural sparren, diminutive sparretje n)

  1. spruce

German

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ʃpaːɐ̯]

Verb

spar

  1. Imperative singular of sparen.
  2. (colloquial) First-person singular present of sparen.

Icelandic

Adjective

spar ‎(comparative sparari, superlative sparastur)

  1. economical
  2. thrifty

Declension

    positive (weak declension)
singular masculine feminine neuter
nominative spari spara spara
accusative spara spöru spara
dative spara spöru spara
genitive spara spöru spara
plural masculine feminine neuter
nominative spöru spöru spöru
accusative spöru spöru spöru
dative spöru spöru spöru
genitive spöru spöru spöru
    comparative
singular masculine feminine neuter
nominative sparari sparari sparara
accusative sparari sparari sparara
dative sparari sparari sparara
genitive sparari sparari sparara
plural masculine feminine neuter
nominative sparari sparari sparari
accusative sparari sparari sparari
dative sparari sparari sparari
genitive sparari sparari sparari
    superlative (strong declension)
singular masculine feminine neuter
nominative sparastur spörust sparast
accusative sparastan sparasta sparast
dative spörustum sparastri spörustu
genitive sparasts sparastrar sparasts
plural masculine feminine neuter
nominative sparastir sparastar spörust
accusative sparasta sparastar spörust
dative spörustum spörustum spörustum
genitive sparastra sparastra sparastra

Kurdish

Noun

spar ?

  1. errand

Norwegian

Noun

spar

  1. spades (suit in playing cards)

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

spar

  1. imperative of spare

Swedish

Verb

spar

  1. present tense of spara.
  2. imperative of spara.

Etymology

From Middle English sparre ‎(“spar, rafter, beam”) (noun), sparren ‎(“to close, bar”) (verb), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sparrô ‎(“stake, beam”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)par- ‎(“beam, log”). Compare Dutch spar ‎(“balk”), German Sparren ‎(“rafter, spar”), Danish sparre ‎(“spar”), Albanian shparr, shpardh ‎(“kind of oak”). Perhaps also compare spear, park.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /spɑː/
  • (US) IPA(key): /spɑɹ/, [spɑɹ], [spɑ˞]
  • Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)
  • Homophone: spa (in non-rhotic accents)

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