sprue

1
[ sproo ]

noun
  1. Metallurgy.

    • an opening through which molten metal is poured into a mold.

    • the waste metal left in this opening after casting.

  2. Metalworking. a channel in a forging die permitting the die to clear that part of the rough piece not being forged.

verb (used with object),sprued, spru·ing.
  1. to cut the sprues from (a casting).

Origin of sprue

1
First recorded in 1820–30; origin uncertain

Words Nearby sprue

Other definitions for sprue (2 of 2)

sprue2
[ sproo ]

nounPathology.
  1. a chronic disease, occurring chiefly in the tropics, resulting from malabsorption of nutrients from the small intestine and characterized by diarrhea, ulceration of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, and a smooth, shining tongue; psilosis.

Origin of sprue

2
1815–25; <Dutch spruw; cognate with Middle Low German sprūwe tumor

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

How to use sprue in a sentence

  • Some tops of sprue grass may be boiled in a little stock till tender, and rubbed through a tamis.

    The Art of Cookery | John Mollard
  • There is a strange story told in Shanghai about a certain remedy for a horrible disease called "sprue."

    Changing China | William Gascoyne-Cecil

British Dictionary definitions for sprue (1 of 3)

sprue1

/ (spruː) /


noun
  1. a vertical channel in a mould through which plastic or molten metal is introduced or out of which it flows when the mould is filled

  2. plastic or metal that solidifies in a sprue

Origin of sprue

1
C19: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for sprue (2 of 3)

sprue2

/ (spruː) /


noun
  1. a chronic disease, esp of tropical climates, characterized by flatulence, diarrhoea, frothy foul-smelling stools, and emaciation

Origin of sprue

2
C19: from Dutch spruw; related to Middle Low German sprüwe tumour

British Dictionary definitions for sprue (3 of 3)

sprue3

/ (spruː) /


noun
  1. East London dialect an inferior type of asparagus

Origin of sprue

3
C19: of unknown origin

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