spa

English Online Dictionary. What means spa‎? What does spa mean?

Translingual

Etymology

Clipping of English Spanish.

Symbol

spa

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Spanish.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Spanish terms

English

Etymology 1

The term is derived from the name of the Belgian town of Spa, where since medieval times illnesses caused by iron deficiency were treated by drinking chalybeate (iron-bearing) spring water. In 16^th century England the old Roman ideas of medicinal bathing were revived at towns like Bath, and in 1571 William Slingsby who had been to the Belgian town (which he called Spaw) discovered a chalybeate spring in Yorkshire. He built an enclosed well at what became known as Harrogate, the first resort in England for drinking medicinal waters, then in 1596 Dr. Timothy Bright called the resort The English Spaw, beginning the use of the word Spa as a generic description rather than as the place name of the Belgian town. At first this term referred specifically to resorts for water drinking rather than bathing, but this distinction was gradually lost and many spas offer external remedies.

There are various stories about the origin of the name. A Belgian spring of iron-bearing water was called Espa from the Walloon term for "fountain", and was used in 1326 as a cure by an iron master with such success that he founded a health resort that developed into the town, though it has been suggested that this term may be derived from the name of the resort. Some have suggested that the town's name can be ultimately sourced from Latin spargere (“to scatter, sprinkle, or moisten”), though this derivation is problematic.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈspɑː/
  • (UK, obsolete) IPA^(key): /ˈspɔː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈspɑ/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈspɐː/
• Rhymes: -ɑː
• Homophone: spar (non-rhotic)

Noun

spa (plural spas)

1. A health resort near a mineral spring or hot spring.
2. A trendy or fashionable resort.
3. A health club.

4. A hot tub.

5. (Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine) A convenience store.

Synonyms

• health club
• resort

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Etymology 2

Shortened form of spastic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spɑː/
• Rhymes: -ɑː

Noun

spa (plural spas)

1. (Ireland, slang) An idiot; a gobshite
2. (Ireland, slang) A clumsy person (see spastic)

References

Anagrams

• APS, SAP, sap, APs, Psa., PsA, s.ap., asp, pas, Pas, PSA, ASP, PAs, PAS

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spaː/
• Rhymes: -aː

Etymology 1

From earlier spade, from Middle Dutch spade, from Old Dutch *spado, from Proto-Germanic *spadô.

Alternative forms

• spade

Noun

spa m (plural spaden, diminutive spaatje n)

1. spade

Etymology 2

From the Spa brand of mineral water, which originates from the Belgian town of Spa. The compound spawater is attested as early as the 17th century, however.

Noun

spa m (plural spa's, diminutive spaatje n)

1. mineral water

Derived terms

Etymology 3

From earlier spade, from Middle Dutch spade, from Old Dutch *spādi, from Proto-Germanic *spēdiz. Cognate with German spät.

Alternative forms

• spade

Adjective

spa (comparative spader, superlative spaadst)

1. (obsolete) late

   Synonym: laat

Declension

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• spada
• spade

Etymology

From the noun spade.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spɑː/

Verb

spa (present tense spar, past tense spadde, past participle spadd or spadt, present participle spadande, imperative spa)

1. to use a spade or shovel, to dig, to shovel

References

• “spa” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Piedmontese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spa/

Noun

spa f (plural spe)

1. sword

Polish

Alternative forms

• SPA, SpA

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English spa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspa/
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: spa
• Homophone: Spa

Noun

spa n (indeclinable)

1. spa (beauty treatments designed to moisturise and nourish the skin; also: cosmetics used for such treatments)
2. spa (health resort near a mineral spring or hot spring)

   Hypernyms: bad, kurort, uzdrowisko, zdrojowisko

3. spa (hot tub)

   Synonym: jacuzzi

   Hypernym: wanna

Adjective

spa (not comparable, no derived adverb)

1. (postpositive) spa (beauty treatments designed to moisturise and nourish the skin; also: cosmetics used for such treatments)
2. (postpositive) spa (hot tub)

   Synonym: jacuzzi

Further reading

• spa I in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• spa II in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• spa in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English spa.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: spa

Noun

spa m (plural spas)

1. spa (health resort near a spring)

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English spa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /esˈpa/ [esˈpa]
• Rhymes: -a

Noun

spa m (plural spas)

1. spa

   Synonym: balneario

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading

• “spa”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10