spare

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See also: Spare and spāre

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English spare, spar, from Old English spær (“sparing, scant”), from Proto-Germanic *sparaz, from Proto-Indo-European *sph₁rós, from the root *speh₁-.

Compare Dutch spaar(zaam), German spar(sam) and spär(lich), Swedish spar(sam), Icelandic sparr (“sparing”); also Latin (pro)sperus (“lucky”), Old Church Slavonic споръ (sporŭ, “plentiful”), Albanian shperr (“earn money”), Persian سپار (sepâr, “entrust; deposit”), Ancient Greek σπαρνός (sparnós, “rare”), Sanskrit स्फिर (sphirá, “thick”).

Adjective[edit]

spare (comparative sparer, superlative sparest)

  1. Scant; not abundant or plentiful.
    a spare diet
    • 2012 May 24, Nathan Rabin, “Film: Reviews: Men In Black 3”, in The Onion AV Club‎[1]:
      Jones’ sad eyes betray a pervasive pain his purposefully spare dialogue only hints at, while the perfectly cast Brolin conveys hints of playfulness and warmth while staying true to the craggy stoicism at the character’s core.
  2. Austere, stripped down, without what is extraneous.
    • 1941, Theodore Roethke, “Open House”, in Open House; republished in The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke, 1975, →ISBN, page 3:
      I’m naked to the bone,
      With nakedness my shield.
      Myself is what I wear:
      I keep the spirit spare.
  3. Sparing; frugal; parsimonious; not spending much money.
    • 1609, Richard Carew, The Survey of Cornwall. […], new edition, London: […] B. Law, […]; Penzance, Cornwall: J. Hewett, published 1769, →OCLC:
      He was spare, […] but discreet of speech.
    • 2009 April 12, Phil Patton, “At VW, the Italian Accent Gets Stronger”, in New York Times‎[2]:
      Under Hartmut Warkuss, its design director until 2003, Volkswagen styling celebrated its Teutonic origins and the spare modernist tradition expressed in Braun radios and coffee makers, reference points for the neomodern simplicity of the iPod.
  4. Being more than what is necessary, or what must be used or reserved; not wanted, or not used; superfluous.
    I have no spare time.
  5. Held in reserve, to be used in an emergency.
    a spare anchor; a spare wheel or tyre
  6. Not occupied or in current use.
    We could rent out the spare room.
    • 2012, BioWare, Mass Effect 3, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Earth:
      Shepard: I take it this is your first time here?
      Wrex: Meant to tell you Shepard. Earth reminds me of home. Guess you'll be needing a new planet too. That's okay. Tuchanka's got room to spare and a guard dog named Kalros.
    • 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 68:
      As the 1857 to Manchester Piccadilly rolls in, I scan the windows and realise there are plenty of spare seats, so I hop aboard. The train is a '221'+'220' combo to allow for social distancing - a luxury on an XC train as normally you're playing sardines, so I make the most of it.
  8. Lean; lacking flesh; meager; thin; gaunt.
  10. (UK, informal) Very angry; frustrated or distraught.
    When he found out that someone had broken the window, he went spare.
    The poor girl is going spare, stuck in the house all day with the kids like that.
    • 2006, Tate Hallaway, Tall, Dark & Dead:
      “That'll drive him spare.”
    • 2013, David Ovason, The Zelator:
      My grandfather (unaware that he was using antique terms) would often say ruefully that I would drive him spare. The idea was that my behaviour would so dement him as to drive him berserk.
Derived terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
  • → Welsh: sbâr
Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

spare (plural spares)

  1. The act of sparing; moderation; restraint.
    • 1659, T[itus] Livius [i.e., Livy], “(please specify the book number)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Romane Historie […], London: […] W. Hunt, for George Sawbridge, […], →OCLC:
      men slaine, then without any spare at all they trampled over the dead carkasses
  2. Parsimony; frugal use.
  3. An opening in a petticoat or gown; a placket.
  4. That which has not been used or expended.
  5. A spare part, especially a spare tire.
  6. A superfluous or second-best person.
    an heir and a spare (dynastic context)
  7. (bowling) The right of bowling again at a full set of pins, after having knocked all the pins down in less than three bowls. If all the pins are knocked down in one bowl it is a double spare; in two bowls, a single spare.
  8. (bowling) The act of knocking down all remaining pins in second ball of a frame; this entitles the pins knocked down on the next ball to be added to the score for that frame.
  9. (Canada) A free period; a block of school during which one does not have a class.
    • 2010, Sandra Rinomato, Realty Check: Real Estate Secrets for First-Time Canadian Home Buyers:
      I also remember watching David Letterman's short-lived morning show on TV when I had a spare during my school schedule.
  10. (Myanmar) assistant or extra hand (typically on buses and lorries)
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English sparen, sparien, from Old English sparian (“to spare, show mercy to, refrain from injuring or destroying”), from Proto-Germanic *sparōną, *sparāną (“to save, keep, spare”), from Proto-Indo-European *sper- (“to be productive, earn”).

Cognate with Scots spar, spare, spair (“to spare”), West Frisian sparje (“to save, spare”), Dutch sparen (“to save, spare”), German sparen (“to save, conserve, economise”), Swedish spara (“to save, save up”), Icelandic spara (“to save, conserve”).

Verb[edit]

spare (third-person singular simple present spares, present participle sparing, simple past and past participle spared)

  1. To show mercy, to have mercy on.
    1. (intransitive) To desist; to stop; to refrain.
    2. (intransitive) To refrain from inflicting harm; to use mercy or forbearance.
    3. (transitive) To preserve (someone) from danger or punishment; to forbear to punish, injure, or harm (someone); to show mercy towards.
      • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 6:34:
        For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
      • 1949 September and October, “The "Nord Express"”, in Railway Magazine, page 336:
        Cologne Hauptbahnhof is reached in the small hours, and the traveller new to postwar Germany is spared the sight of the devastated city.
      1. (specifically) To refrain from killing (someone) or having (someone) killed.
        • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London, Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
          Kill me, if you please, or spare me.
        • 2012 August 21, Ed Pilkington, “Death penalty on trial: should Reggie Clemons live or die?”, in The Guardian:
          Reggie Clemons has one last chance to save his life. After 19 years on death row in Missouri for the murder of two young women, he has been granted a final opportunity to persuade a judge that he should be spared execution by lethal injection.
        • 2021 August 16, “Exploring the SCP Foundation: SCP-6002 - All Creatures Great and Small” (19:06 from the start), in The Exploring Series‎[4], archived from the original on 10 January 2023:
          In April of 2009, however, the disease was found to suddenly no longer be appearing in newly-hatched chickens, and, upon review, it was discovered that Dr. Wildcat had modified 6002 without authorization, removing the disease from the genome. She's detained and questioned by Muller, and, even though she tries to lie that she didn't do anything, they have footage of her ascending the tree on her own. Muller tells her that she can't just take it upon herself to decide what's best, as who knows what would've happened if she had made a mistake. She proceeds to cuss him out, and he gives her a choice, telling her that if she apologizes now, he'll put in a good word for her with the O5 Council, which might spare her. She's silent for a moment, but does end up apologizing.
  2. To keep.
    1. (intransitive) To be frugal; to not be profuse; to live frugally; to be parsimonious.
      • 1737, Alexander Pope, The Second Epistle of the Second Book of Horace, Imitated by Mr. Pope:
        I, who at some times spend, at others spare, / Divided between carelessness and care.
    2. (transitive) To keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give.
    3. (transitive) To save or gain, as by frugality; to reserve, as from some occupation, use, or duty.
      • 1610, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, from the First Beginning of that Nation‎[5], page 580:
        All the time he could spare from the necessary cares of his weighty charge, from assaults, and the naturall refreshing of his body, be bestowed in praier and seruing of God
  3. (transitive) (to give up): To deprive oneself of, as by being frugal; to do without; to dispense with; to give up; to part with.
    • a. 1779, Earl of Roscommon, “The Twenty-second Ode of the First Book of Horace”:
      Where angry Jove did never spare / One breath of kind and temperate air.
    • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iv]:
      Poor Jack, farewell! / I could have better spared a better man
    • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
      Not unnaturally, “Auntie” took this communication in bad part. […] Next day she […] tried to recover her ward by the hair of the head. Then, thwarted, the wretched creature went to the police for help; she was versed in the law, and had perhaps spared no pains to keep on good terms with the local constabulary.
    • 1960 April, “Talking of Trains: The present difficulties”, in Trains Illustrated, page 193:
      At Southall, we believe, it has been difficult to spare men from an understaffed motive power establishment to undergo non revenue-earning training on the diesel multiple-units, because crews are scarce for trip freight working.
Conjugation[edit]
Conjugation of spare
infinitive (to) spare
present tense past tense
1st-person singular spare spared
2nd-person singular spare, sparest† spared, sparedst†
3rd-person singular spares, spareth† spared
plural spare
subjunctive spare spared
imperative spare —
participles sparing spared

†Archaic or obsolete.

Derived terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
Translations[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Danish[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From English spare. Related to the following verb.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /spɛːr/, [ˈsb̥ɛɐ̯], [ˈsb̥æɐ̯]

Noun[edit]

spare c (singular definite sparen, plural indefinite spare or spares)

  1. (bowling) spare (the act of knocking down all remaining pins in second ball of a frame)
Declension[edit]
Declension of spare
common
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative spare sparen spare
spares 		sparene
genitive spares sparens spares
spares' 		sparenes

References[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Old Norse spara, from Proto-Germanic *sparāną, cognate with Swedish spara, English spare, German sparen.

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

spare (past tense sparede, past participle sparet)

  1. to save
  2. to spare
  3. to economize
  4. to save up
Conjugation[edit]
Inflection of spare
present past
simple sparer sparede
perfect har sparet havde sparet
passive spares sparedes
participle sparende sparet
imperative spar —
infinitive spare —
auxiliary verb have —
gerund sparen —

References[edit]

Dutch[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

spare

  1. (dated or formal) singular present subjunctive of sparen

French[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Latin sparus.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

spare m (plural spares)

  1. a fish of the superorder Acanthopterygii

Etymology 2[edit]

From English spare.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

spare m (plural spares)

  1. (bowling) a spare
Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

German[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

spare

  1. inflection of sparen:
    1. first-person singular present
    2. first/third-person singular subjunctive I
    3. singular imperative

Latin[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

spare

  1. vocative singular of sparus

Middle English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Noun[edit]

spare

  1. Alternative form of sparre

Etymology 2[edit]

Verb[edit]

spare

  1. Alternative form of sparren (“to close”)

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Norse spara.

Verb[edit]

spare (imperative spar, present tense sparer, passive spares, simple past sparte, past participle spart, present participle sparende)

  1. to save

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

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