spear

C2+ Topic:Animals
US /spɪɹ/ UK /spɪə̯(ɹ)/
Homophones
verb noun Freq #7875

Meanings

  1. 1
    verb

    pierce with a spear

    Spear fish.

  2. 2
    verb

    thrust up like a spear

    The branch speared up into the air.

  3. 3
    noun

    A long stick with a sharp tip used as a weapon for throwing or thrusting, or anything used to make a thrusting motion.

    It's not like you killed someone It's not like you drove a spiteful spear into his side Talk to Jesus Christ as if he knows the reasons why He did it all for you.

  4. 4
    noun

    A soldier armed with such a weapon; a spearman.

    Now toil'd the Bruce, the battle done , To use his conquest boldly won; And gave command for horse and spear To press the Southron's scatter'd rear.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
2 verb · thrust up like a spear spear up
Opposites
Word family
Forms spearmanspearmenspears
Derived forms boar-speareelspearfishspearpolespearspear-carrierspear-chuckerspear-pennyspear-ribspearablespearbushspearcastspearcaster
Related forms assagaiassagaieassagayassegaiassegayatlatlazagaiabayonetharpoonhassagayhassaguayjavelin

Etymology

From Middle English spere, sperre, spear, from Old English spere, from Proto-West Germanic *speru, from Proto-Germanic *speru, from Proto-Indo-European *sperH-. Cognates See also West Frisian spear, Dutch speer, German Speer, Old Norse spjǫr, *sparrô, Middle Dutch sparre (“rafter”), Old Norse sparri (“spar, rafter”), sperra (“rafter, beam”); also Latin sparus (“short spear”), Albanian ferrë (“thorn, thornbush”).

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