span

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

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English spanne, from Old English spann, from Proto-Germanic *spannō (“span, handbreadth”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- (“to stretch”).

Cognate with Dutch span, spanne, German Spanne. The sense “pair of horses” is probably from Old English ġespan, ġespann (“a joining; a fastening together; clasp; yoke”), from Proto-West Germanic [Term?]. Cognate with Dutch gespan, German Gespann.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /spæn/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /spæːn/
• Rhymes: -æn

Noun

span (plural spans)

1. The full width of an open hand from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger used as an informal unit of length.
2. Any of various traditional units of length approximating this distance, especially the English handspan of 9 inches forming ⅛ fathom and equivalent to 22.86 cm.
3. (by extension) A small space or a brief portion of time.
4. A portion of something by length; a subsequence.
5. (architecture, construction) The spread or extent of an arch or between its abutments, or of a beam, girder, truss, roof, bridge, or the like, between supports.
6. (architecture, construction) The length of a cable, wire, rope, chain between two consecutive supports.
7. (nautical) A rope having its ends made fast so that a purchase can be hooked to the bight; also, a rope made fast in the center so that both ends can be used.
8. (US, Canada) A pair of horses or other animals driven together; usually, such a pair of horses when similar in color, form, and action.
9. (mathematics) The space of all linear combinations of vectors within a set.
10. (computing) The time required to execute a parallel algorithm on an infinite number of processors, i.e. the shortest distance across a directed acyclic graph representing the computation steps.
11. wingspan of a plane or bird

Derived terms

Related terms

• spang (Scotland)

Translations

See also

• chord

References

Etymology 2

From Middle English spannen, from Old English spannan, from Proto-Germanic *spannaną (“to stretch, span”). Cognate with German spannen, Dutch spannen.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /spæn/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /spæːn/
• Rhymes: -æn

Verb

span (third-person singular simple present spans, present participle spanning, simple past and past participle spanned)

1. (transitive) To extend through the distance between or across.
2. (transitive) To extend through (a time period).

3. (transitive) To measure by the span of the hand with the fingers extended, or with the fingers encompassing the object.

   to span a space or distance; to span a cylinder
4. (mathematics) To generate an entire space by means of linear combinations.
5. (intransitive, US, dated) To be matched, as horses.
6. (transitive) To fetter, as a horse; to hobble.

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English span, from Old English spann, from Proto-Germanic *spann, first and third person singular preterit indicative of Proto-Germanic *spinnaną (“to spin”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General Australian, General American) IPA^(key): /spæn/
• Rhymes: -æn

Verb

span

1. (dated, now uncommon) simple past of spin

Alternative forms

• spun (more common)

Derived terms

• wheelspan (verb)

See also

• span-new (probably etymologically unrelated)

Anagrams

• NSPA, Snap, ANPs, NPAS, SNAP, naps, PANs, PNAs, pans, snap, APNS, PNAS, Pans, NPAs

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spɑn/
• Hyphenation: span
• Rhymes: -ɑn

Etymology 1

From older gespan.

Noun

span n (plural spannen, diminutive spannetje n)

1. a span, a team (pair or larger team of draught animals) [from 17th c.]
2. a cart or instrument with a team of draught animals [from 18th c.]
3. a romantic pair, couple [from 19th c.]

Derived terms

• driespan
• tweespan
• vierspan
• zesspan

Descendants

• Afrikaans: span

Etymology 2

From spannen.

Noun

span m or f (plural spannen, diminutive spannetje n)

1. (dated) span (distance between extended thumb and little finger)
2. (dated) span (interval of space or time)

Alternative forms

• spanne

Derived terms

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

span

1. inflection of spannen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

Anagrams

• snap

Icelandic

Noun

span n (genitive singular spans, no plural)

1. hurry, haste
2. (physics) induction

Declension

Further reading

• “span” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)

Middle English

Noun

span

1. Alternative form of spanne

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

From Dutch spannen.

Adjective

span

1. exciting
2. angry, displeased
3. busy, crowded
4. tight, taut
5. tense, stressed
6. loaded, crammed
7. (of a projectile weapon) loaded, armed

Noun

span

1. tension
2. excitement

Verb

span

1. to stretch out
2. to tighten
3. to crowd
4. to suffer stress, to be agitated
5. to be exciting
6. (of a projectile weapon) to load, to arm

Descendants

• → Dutch: no spang

Swedish

Etymology

Deverbal from spana.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spɑːn/
• Rhymes: -ɑːn

Noun

span n

1. (colloquial) an act of spying (something)

2. (colloquial) stakeout

References

• span in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)

West Frisian

Etymology

From Low German or Dutch spannen (“to yoke, stretch”).

Noun

span n (plural spannen, diminutive spantsje)

1. span, team (pair of draught animals in a team)
2. pair, couple

Further reading

• “span (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011