Spencer, spens′ėr, n. (in ships and barques) a fore-and-aft sail abaft the fore and main masts.
Spencerian, spen-sē′ri-an, adj. pertaining to the philosophy of Herbert Spencer (b. 1820).—n. a follower of Spencer.—n. Spencē′rianism, the system of evolutionary cosmology propounded by Herbert Spencer—the so-called synthetic philosophy.
Spend, spend, v.t. to expend or weigh out: to give for any purpose: to consume: to waste: to pass, as time.—v.i. to make expense: to be lost, wasted, or dissipated: to emit milt, semen, &c.:—pr.p. spend′ing; pa.t. and pa.p. spent.—adj. Spen′dable, that may be spent.—ns. Spend′all, a spendthrift; Spen′der; Spen′ding; Spense=Spence (q.v.).—adj. Spent, exhausted: impotent: of fish, exhausted by spawning. [A.S. spendan—L. expendĕre or dispendĕre, to weigh out.]
Spendthrift, spend′thrift, n. one who spends the savings of thrift: a prodigal.—adj. excessively lavish. [Spend and thrift.]
Spenserian, spen-sē′ri-an, adj. pertaining to Edmund Spenser (1552-1599) or his versification, esp. his stanza in The Faerie Queene, a strophe of eight decasyllabic lines and an Alexandrine, having three rhymes, the 1st and 3d, the 2d, 4th, 5th, and 7th, and the 6th, 8th, and 9th.
Spent, spent, pa.t. and pa.p. of spend.
Speos, spē′os, n. a grotto-temple or tomb. [Gr.]
Sper, spėr, v.t. (Spens.) to bolt, to shut, as a gate.
Sperable, spē′ra-bl, adj. (Bacon) that may be hoped.—adj. Spē′rate, hoped for. [L. sperabilis—sperāre, to hope.]
Spergula, sper′gū-la, n. a genus of polypetalous annuals belonging to the Caryophyllaceæ, with small white or pink flowers—spurry or sandweed.—n. Spergulā′ria, an allied genus, the sand-spurry. [L. spargĕre, to scatter.]