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Span

noun

the distance between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully extended.

a unit of length corresponding to this distance, commonly taken as 9 inches (23 cm).

a distance, amount, piece, etc., of this length or of some small extent: a span of lace.

Civil Engineering, Architecture.

the distance between two supports of a structure.

the structure so supported.

the distance or space between two supports of a bridge.

the full extent, stretch, or reach of anything: a long span of memory.

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Aeronautics. the distance between the wing tips of an airplane.

a limited space of time, as the term or period of living: Our span on earth is short.

Mathematics. the smallest subspace of a vector space that contains a given element or set of elements.

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verb (used with object)

to measure by the hand with the thumb and little finger extended.

10.

to encircle with the hand or hands, as the waist.

11.

to extend over or across (a section of land, a river, etc.).

12.

to provide with something that extends over: to span a river with a bridge.

13.

to extend or reach over (space or time): a memory that spans 90 years.

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14.

Mathematics. to function (in a subspace of a vector space) as a span.

15.

Archery. to bend (the bow) in preparation for shooting.

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Span is one of our favorite verbs.

So is absquatulate. Does it mean:

to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.

to flee; abscond:

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Origin:
before 900; (noun) Middle English spanne, sponne, spayn, Old English span(n), spon(n); cognate with German Spanne, Dutch span, Old Norse spǫnn; (v.) Middle English spaynen, derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

Attention span may be tested earlier, because this fundamental skill can influence the rest of the tests.

Eligible applicants will have worked on topics that span more than one discipline in humanities and social sciences.

But it does usually mean increasing the average span of control of senior managers within the organisation.

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Attention span may be tested earlier, because this fundamental skill can influence the rest of the tests.

Eligible applicants will have worked on topics that span more than one discipline in humanities and social sciences.

But it does usually mean increasing the average span of control of senior managers within the organisation.

Recent research suggests that the mere presence of plants can boost your attention span.

To put it simply, he has the attention span of a goldfish.

Again, the idea is that applications can span both the public cloud and the private cloud.

The life span gap between men and women is narrowing.

Barr said the increase didn't necessarily mean that students' problems had become more severe in a one-year span.

Since the attention span of busy shoppers is short, these channels differ from ordinary television.

Understanding how they work may reveal the keys to extending human life span while banishing diseases of old age.

As researchers study these bugs, their life span will become better known.

For many of us, it's difficult to picture how technologies will change and evolve in that time span.

They are more aware of issues that span the globe and many of them are interested in working to make positive change.

The reasons span history, economics and geopolitics.

It will have the same life span as pastuerized milk when it is opened.

It's also versatile and is found in cuisines that span the globe.

Adventurers are also allowed, on the same day, to rappel from the span.

Extension of life span by introduction of telomerase into normal human cells.

The same can be said of similar partial vertebrae found from the same span of time throughout the southwest.

And this grows a community together in a natural setting that will span generations.

Now researchers have devised a way to manufacture plastic bottles that would increase their recycling life span.

Not to mention this happened in a span of four minutes.

What was the time span between the crash of the computer and the installation of the software.

It is no coincidence that the span of each brood's cycle is a prime number of years.

Clovis culture is defined both by its time span and its distinctive projectile points.

However, after asking for it a number of times over a year time span the promised support is still not there.

For instance, no one knows exactly what their average life span is in the wild.

It's the limited life span of batteries that keeps robots from being more widely available.

They only last for about two months, but in their short life span they can explode.

It is not yet known if caloric restriction would increase people's life span but preliminary trials with monkeys look promising.

Sturdy suspension bridges span dangerous rivers, and comfortable huts welcome hikers at the conclusion of each day.

Attention span and reasoning may get higher marks than intelligence, especially in math.

The wider span between high and low gears makes better use of engine power.

He is also a political novice who heads a disparate coalition whose span extends from the centre to the hard left.

On the other hand, children's attention span is usually close to their age in minutes.

In the span of a few hours, the flames that rose from the smoldering butt he'd tossed in the wastebasket destroyed two rooms.

The scope of responsibilities will span the entire system.

Made a bunch of movies over the span of a couple of years, then retired.

Since communes can span municipal borders, they could move public funds from opposition-led districts to government-friendly ones.

The sole continent to span both the north and south temperate.

Unlike many standards-setting bodies, participating companies span a range of industries.

As for the helicopter, it hasn't gone into the drink yet, despite the researchers' fears about its life span.

The hiking is generally easy, often with boardwalks that span mossy bogs.

Your intelligence affects your life span in several surprising ways.

The pairs of dotted lines span the time between two electron crossings.

And a smooth path does not equate to success over the span of a lifetime.

That's comparable to the time scales thought to span the formation and dynamical evolution of our own solar system," he added.

For the span of nearly two hours he had not done one thing except blow bubbles.

Some may span several countries and others may be smaller than an individual country.

The nearest thing is a snif--fer dog, but a canine has a short attention span and needs frequent breaks.

Now a number of them span the globe right from the beginning.

They typically do not try to span the globe, but their work is so good that clients will keep paying handsomely for it.

Abuse of opiates such as heroin, methadone and morphine destroy brain cells, reducing attention span and memory.

He is often accused of having a short attention span.

Human females can live a normal life span with the disease, as can female mice-the latter species also frequently becomes obese.

In some cases entire neighborhoods have become ghost towns with the span a few months.

Optical fibers now span the globe, guiding light signals that convey voluminous streams of voice communications.

It acted by improvisation, with no clear sense of purpose or coherent strategy, and a rather short attention span.

Ten minutes comes to mind when dealing with a cranky child's attention span.

But the politics of hostility and resentment span the planet.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

a pair of horses or other animals harnessed and driven together.

Origin:
1760–70, Americanism; < Dutch: team (of oxen, horses)

Synonyms
team. See pair.

verb Archaic.

a simple past tense of spin.

Spaniard.

Spanish.

verb (used with object)

to make (yarn) by drawing out, twisting, and winding fibers: Pioneer women spun yarn on spinning wheels.

to form (the fibers of any material) into thread or yarn: The machine spins nylon thread.

(of spiders, silkworms, etc.) to produce (a thread, cobweb, gossamer, silk, etc.) by extruding from the body a long, slender filament of a natural viscous matter that hardens in the air.

to cause to turn around rapidly, as on an axis; twirl; whirl: to spin a coin on a table.

Informal. to play (phonograph records): a job spinning records on a radio show.

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Metalworking. to shape (sheet metal) into a hollow, rounded form by pressure from a tool while rotating the metal on a lathe or wheel.

to produce, fabricate, or evolve in a manner suggestive of spinning thread: to spin a tale of sailing ships and bygone days.

Rocketry. to cause intentionally (a rocket or guided missile) to undergo a roll.

to draw out, protract, or prolong (often followed by out): He spun the project out for over three years.

10.

British. to flunk a student in an examination or a term's work.

11.

Slang. to cause to have a particular bias; influence in a certain direction: His assignment was to spin the reporters after the president's speech.

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verb (used without object)

12.

to revolve or rotate rapidly, as the earth or a top.

13.

to produce a thread from the body, as spiders or silkworms.

14.

to produce yarn or thread by spinning.

15.

to move, go, run, ride, or travel rapidly.

16.

to have a sensation of whirling; reel: My head began to spin and I fainted.

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17.

to fish with a spinning or revolving bait.

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noun

18.

the act of causing a spinning or whirling motion.

19.

a spinning motion given to a ball, wheel, axle, or other object.

20.

a downward movement or trend, especially one that is sudden, alarming, etc.: Steel prices went into a spin.

21.

a rapid run, ride, drive, or the like, as for exercise or enjoyment: They went for a spin in the car.

22.

Slang. a particular viewpoint or bias, especially in the media; slant: They tried to put a favorable spin on the news coverage of the controversial speech.

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23.

Also called tailspin, tail spin. Aeronautics. a maneuver in which an airplane descends in a vertical direction along a helical path of large pitch and small radius at an angle of attack greater than the critical angle, dangerous when not done intentionally or under control.

24.

Rocketry.

the act of intentionally causing a rocket or guided missile to undergo a roll.

a roll so caused.

25.

Also called spin angular momentum. Physics. the intrinsic angular momentum characterizing each kind of elementary particle, having one of the values 0, ¹/₂, 1, ³/₂, … when measured in units of Planck's constant divided by 2π.

26.

Australian. a run of luck; fate.

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Verb phrase

27.

spin off,

to create something new, as a company or assets, without detracting from or affecting the relative size or stability of the original: After the acquisition, the company was required to spin off about a third of its assets.

to derive from or base on something done previously: They took the character of the maid and spun off another TV series.

Idioms

28.

spin one's wheels. wheel (def. 27).

29.

spin out, (of an automobile) to undergo a spinout.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English spinnen to spin yarn, Old English spinnan; cognate with Dutch, German spinnen, Old Norse spinna, Gothic spinnan

Related forms

spin·na·bil·i·ty, noun

spin·na·ble, adjective

out·spin, verb (used with object), -spun, -spin·ning.

un·spin·na·ble, adjective

Synonyms
7. develop, narrate, relate. 9. extend, lengthen. 11. gyrate. See turn.

Link To Span

Collins

World English Dictionary

span¹ (spæn)

—n
1.	the interval, space, or distance between two points, such as the ends of a bridge or arch
2.	the complete duration or extent: the span of his life
3.	psychol the amount of material that can be processed in a single mental act: apprehension span; span of attention
4.	short for wingspan
5.	a unit of length based on the width of an expanded hand, usually taken as nine inches

—vb , spans, spanning, spanned
6.	to stretch or extend across, over, or around
7.	to provide with something that extends across or around: to span a river with a bridge
8.	to measure or cover, esp with the extended hand

[Old English spann; related to Old Norse sponn, Old High German spanna]

span² (spæn)

—n
	a team of horses or oxen, esp two matched animals

[C16 (in the sense: yoke): from Middle Dutch: something stretched, from spannen to stretch; see span¹]

span³ (spæn)

—vb
	archaic, dialect or a past tense of spin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

span

"distance between two objects," O.E. span "distance between the thumb and little finger of an extended hand," probably related to M.Du. spannen "to join, fasten" (see span (n.2)). The Gmc. word was borrowed into M.L. as spannus, hence It. spanna, O.Fr. espanne, Fr. empan. As

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a measure of length, roughly nine inches. Meaning "length of time" first attested 1599; that of "space between abutments of an arch, etc." is from 1725. Meaning "maximum lateral dimension of an aircraft" is first recorded 1909. Attention span is recorded from 1922.

span

"two animals driven together," 1769, from Du. span, from spannen "to stretch or yoke," from M.Du. spannen, cognate with O.E. spannen "to join" (see span (v.)).

spin

O.E. spinnan "draw out and twist fibers into thread," from P.Gmc. *spenwanan (cf. O.N., O.Fris. spinna, Dan. spinde, Du. spinnen, O.H.G. spinnan, Ger. spinnen, Goth. spinnan), from PIE *(s)pen- "stretch" (cf. Armenian henum "I weave," Gk. patos "garment, lit. "that which is spun," Lith. pinu "I plait,

braid," spandau "I spin," M.Welsh cy-ffiniden "spider;" see span (v.)). Sense of "to cause to turn rapidly" is from 1612; meaning "revolve, turn around rapidly" first recorded 1667. The noun meaning "fairly rapid ride" is from 1856. Meaning "attempt to influence reporters' minds after an event has taken place but before they have written about it" seems to have risen to popularity in the 1984 U.S. presidential campaign; e.g. spin doctor, first attested 1984. Spinning wheel is attested from 1404; spinning-jenny is from 1783 (see jenny); invented by James Hargreaves c.1764-7, patented 1770. Slang spin off (v.) is from 1957, from the noun phrase, which is first attested 1951, in a corporate sense.

span

O.E. spannen "to clasp, fasten, stretch, span," from P.Gmc. *spanwanan (cf. O.N. spenna, O.Fris. spanna, M.Du. spannen, O.H.G. spannan, Ger. spannen), from PIE base *(s)pen- "to draw, stretch, spin" (cf. L. pendere "to hang, to cause to hang," pondus "weight" (the weight of a thing measured by how much

it stretches a cord), pensare "to weigh, consider;" Gk. ponein "to toil;" Lith. spendziu "lay a snare;" O.C.S. peti "stretch, strain," pato "fetter," pina "I span;" O.E. spinnan "to spin;" for other cognates, see spin). The meaning "to encircle with the hand(s)" is from 1781; in the sense of "to form an arch over (something)" it is first recorded 1633. Spanner (1639), the British name for the wrench, is from Ger., originally a tool for winding the spring of a wheel-lock firearm

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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

spin (spĭn) Pronunciation Key

The intrinsic angular momentum of a rigid body or particle, especially a subatomic particle. Also called spin angular momentum.
The total angular momentum of a physical system, such as an electron orbital or an atomic nucleus.
A quantum number expressing spin angular momentum; the actual angular momentum is a quantum number multiplied by Dirac's constant. Fermions have spin values that are integer multiples of ¹/₂ , while bosons have spin values that are integer multiples of 1.