noun
Freq #322845
Meanings
-
1
noun
the amount of earth or other material that a spade can hold or move at one time
She threw two spadefuls of soil over the exposed roots.
Thesaurus
Etymology
A compound of spade + -ful, using the noun-forming suffix that means "the quantity that fills or can be held by." Like handful and spoonful, its ordinary plural is formed at the end: spadefuls.