spar1

[spahr] /spɑr/
noun
1.
Nautical. a stout pole such as those used for masts, etc.; a mast, yard, boom, gaff, or the like.
2.
Aeronautics. a principal lateral member of the framework of a wing of an airplane.
verb (used with object), sparred, sparring.
3.
to provide or make with spars.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English sparre (noun); cognate with German Sparren, Dutch spar, Old Norse sparri
Related forms
sparlike, adjective

spar2

[spahr] /spɑr/
verb (used without object), sparred, sparring.
1.
(of boxers) to make the motions of attack and defense with the arms and fists, especially as a part of training.
2.
to box, especially with light blows.
3.
to strike or attack with the feet or spurs, as gamecocks do.
4.
to bandy words; dispute.
noun
5.
a motion of sparring.
6.
a boxing match.
7.
a dispute.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English: orig., thrust (noun and v.); perhaps akin to spur

spar3

[spahr] /spɑr/
noun
1.
any of various more or less lustrous crystalline minerals:
fluorspar.
Origin
1575-85; back formation from sparstone spar, Old English spærstān gypsum; compare Middle Low German spar
Related forms
sparlike, adjective

SPAR

[spahr] /spɑr/
noun
1.
(during World War II) a woman enlisted in the women's reserve of the U.S. Coast Guard (disbanded in 1946).
Also, Spar.
Origin
1942; < Latin S(emper) par(ātus) “Always ready” the Coast Guard motto

SpAr

1.
Spanish Arabic.
Examples from the web for spar
  • The submarine had a long pole with an explosive charge in the bow, called a spar torpedo.
  • The mainsail is usually managed with a spar on the underside called a boom.
  • Acute scalenohedral crystals are sometimes referred to as dogtooth spar.
British Dictionary definitions for spar

spar1

/spɑː/
noun
1.
  1. any piece of nautical gear resembling a pole and used as a mast, boom, gaff, etc
  2. (as modifier): a spar buoy
2.
a principal supporting structural member of an aerofoil that runs from tip to tip or root to tip
Word Origin
C13: from Old Norse sperra beam; related to Old High German sparro, Old French esparre

spar2

/spɑː/
verb (intransitive) spars, sparring, sparred
1.
(boxing, martial arts) to fight using light blows, as in training
2.
to dispute or argue
3.
(of gamecocks) to fight with the feet or spurs
noun
4.
an unaggressive fight
5.
an argument or wrangle
6.
(informal) a close friend
Word Origin
Old English, perhaps from spur

spar3

/spɑː/
noun
1.
any of various minerals, such as feldspar or calcite, that are light-coloured, microcrystalline, transparent to translucent, and easily cleavable related adjective spathic
Word Origin
C16: from Middle Low German spar; related to Old English spærstān; see feldspar
Word Origin and History for spar
n.

"stout pole," c.1300, "rafter," from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch sparre, from Proto-Germanic *sparron (cf. Old English *spere "spear, lance," Old Norse sperra "rafter, beam"), from PIE root *sper- "spear, pole" (see spear (n.1)). Nautical use dates from 1640. Also borrowed in Old French as esparre, which may have been the direct source of the English word.

"shiny mineral that splits easily," 1580s, from Low German Spar, from Middle Low German *spar, sper, cognate with Old English spær- in spærstan "gypsum."

v

"to box," c.1400, "to strike or thrust," perhaps from Middle French esparer "to kick," from Italian sparare "to fling," from Latin ex- (see ex-) + parare "make ready, prepare," hence "ward off, parry" (see pare). Used in 17c. in reference to preliminary actions in a cock fight; figurative sense of "to dispute, bandy with words" is from 1690s. Extension to humans, with meaning "to engage in or practice boxing" is attested from 1755. Related: Sparred; sparring.

spar in Technology


Early system on Datatron 200 series. Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959).

Related Abbreviations for spar

SPAR

  1. Latin Semper Paratus (always ready-motto of the United States Coast Guard)
  2. a member of the women's reserve of the United States Coast Guard