Span in Scrabble and Meaning

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4-letter words (4 found)

3-letter words (9 found)

2-letter words (4 found)

You can make 17 words from span according to the Scrabble US and Canada dictionary.

All 4 letters words made out of span

span psan sapn aspn pasn apsn spna psna snpa nspa pnsa npsa sanp asnp snap nsap ansp nasp pans apns pnas npas anps naps

Note: these 'words' (valid or invalid) are all the permutations of the word span. These words are obtained by scrambling the letters in span.

Definitions and meaning of span

span

Etymology 1

From Middle English spanne, from Old English spann, from Proto-Germanic *spannō (“span, handbreadth”). 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

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.

   The suspension bridge spanned the canyon.
2. (transitive) To extend through (a time period).

   The parking lot spans three acres.

   The novel spans three centuries.

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

See also

• span-new (probably etymologically unrelated)

Anagrams

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

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. 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

Borrowed from Dutch gespannen.

Noun

span

1. tense

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

Source: wiktionary.org