spencer

1
[ spen-ser ]

noun
  1. a short, close-fitting jacket, frequently trimmed with fur, worn in the 19th century by women and children.

  2. a man's close-fitting jacket, having a collar and lapels and reaching just below the waist, worn in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

  1. an English wig of the 18th century.

Origin of spencer

1
1740–50; in defs. 1, 2 named after G. J. Spencer (1758–1834), English earl; in def. 3 named after Charles Spencer

Other definitions for spencer (2 of 4)

spencer2
[ spen-ser ]

nounNautical.
  1. a large gaff sail used abaft a square-rigged foremast or abaft the mainmast of a ship or bark.

Origin of spencer

2
First recorded in 1830–40; origin uncertain

Other definitions for Spencer (3 of 4)

Spencer1
[ spen-ser ]

nounMilitary.
  1. a .52 caliber, lever-action repeating rifle and carbine patented in the U.S. in 1860 and used by the Union army and navy in the Civil War.

Other definitions for Spencer (4 of 4)

Spencer2
[ spen-ser ]

noun
  1. Charles, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, 1674–1722, British statesman: prime minister 1718–21.

  2. Herbert, 1820–1903, English philosopher.

  1. Platt Rogers [plat], /plæt/, 1800–64, U.S. calligrapher and teacher of penmanship.

  2. a town in NW Iowa.

  3. a town in central Massachusetts.

  4. a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for spencer (1 of 3)

spencer1

/ (ˈspɛnsə) /


noun
  1. a short fitted coat or jacket

  2. a woman's knitted vest

Origin of spencer

1
C18: named after Earl Spencer (1758–1834)

British Dictionary definitions for spencer (2 of 3)

spencer2

/ (ˈspɛnsə) /


noun
  1. nautical a large loose-footed gaffsail on a square-rigger or barque

Origin of spencer

2
C19: perhaps after the surname Spencer

British Dictionary definitions for Spencer (3 of 3)

Spencer

/ (ˈspɛnsə) /


noun
  1. Herbert. 1820–1903, English philosopher, who applied evolutionary theory to the study of society, favouring laissez-faire doctrines

  2. Sir Stanley. 1891–1959, English painter, noted esp for his paintings of Christ in a contemporary English setting

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012