spar 
the contending cocks are not permitted to do 
each other serious harm, or in which they have 
their spurs covered with stuffed leather pads, 
so that they cannot cut each other. 3. A 
wordy contest; a skirmish of words. 
spar 4 (spar), n. [= F. spare = Sp. esparo, < L. 
xjiarus, < Gr. anapof, a kind of fish, the gilthead.] 
A sparoid fish ; any species of Sparus. Raw- 
liitson, Anc. Egypt. 
sparable (spar'a-bl), . [Formerly sperrdble, 
sparrowble, a corruption of sparrow-bill, a nail 
so called on account of its resemblance to the 
bill of a spaiTow : see sparrow-bill.] A kind of 
headless nail used for the soles and heels of 
coarse boots and shoes. 
All shoemakers know what sparables are, and most of 
them, I think, know also that sparable is short for spar- 
rowbill. The sparables are of two kinds thin for soles. 
and thick for heels. In the trade they are called sepa- 
rately "bills"and "thick bills." . . . Heel sparables are 
going out of use, and a nail with a head is used instead. 
N. imd<J.,7thser.,V. 111. 
Cob clouts his shooes, and, as the story tells, 
His thumb-nailes par'd afford him sperrables. 
Herrick, Upon Cob. 
Sparable tin, small crystals of tin-stone : so called from 
their imaginary resemblance to the kind of nail so named. 
sparada (spa-ra'da), w. An embiotocoid fish 
of the Pacific coast of North America, Miero- 
metrus aggregates : a name also extended to 
Sparada (Ml 
others of the same waters and genus. That above 
named is about six inches long ; the adult males in spring 
are almost entirely black ; the usual coloration is silvery 
with dusky back and longitudinal dark stripes interrupted 
by three vertical yellow bars. 
sparadrap (spar'a-drap; F. pron. spa-ra-dra'), 
. [< F. sparadrap, OF. sparadrapa = Sp. 
esparadrapo, espadrapo, esparadrajo = It. */>- 
radrappo, Nii.sparadrapum; origin uncertain.] 
In med., a cerecloth; an adhesive plaster, a 
medicated bandage, or the like, either linen or 
paper. 
sparaget, n. [Also sperage; < ME. sparage, 
sperage, < OF. csperage = Sp. espdrrago = Pg. 
espargo = It. sparago, sparagio = MHG. G. 
spargel, < L. asparagus, < Gr. nWdpayof, aspara- 
gus: see asparagus.] Same as asparagus. 
Sperage is sowe aboute Aprill kalende 
In redes smale ymade by lyne in wete 
And fatte lande. 
Palladius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 112. 
Sparagmite (spa-rag'mlt), . [< Gr. anapay/ia, 
a piece torn off.] The name given by Norwegian 
geologists to a reddish feldspathic sandstone 
occurring in the Lower Silurian. 
sparagrass, n. [A corruption of sparagus, simu- 
lating grass. Cf. sparrow-grass.] Same as *- 
paragus. [Obsolete or vulgar.] 
Were I, gentlemen, worthy to advise, I should recom- 
mend the opening a new branch of trade : sparagrass, gen- 
tlemen, the manufacturing of sparaffrass. 
Foote, Mayor of Garratt, ii. 2. 
sparagus (spar'a-gus), . [An aphetic form of 
asparagus. Hence sparagrass, sparrow-grass.] 
Same as asparagus. Congrere, tr. of Eleventh 
Satire of Juvenal. [Obsolete or vulgar.] 
Sparaxis (spa-rak'sis), n. [NL. (Ker, 1805), 
so named from the torn shreds fringing the 
spathe; < Gr. airapafa, a tearing, < avapaaaav, 
tear.] A genus of monocotyledonous plants, of 
the order Index and tribe Ixiae. it u characterized 
by flowers with a short perianth-tube enlarged and bell- 
shaped above, unilateral erect stamens, and slender un- 
divided recurved style-branches. The fruit is a membra- 
nous three-valved loculicidal capsule. There are 5 (or as 
some regard them 11) species, all natives of the Cape of 
Good Hope. They are bulbous plants with a slender stem 
bearing a few flat or sword-shaped erect or curving leaves 
and handsome flowers, each solitary and sessile within a 
thin dry fringed spathe, marked with brown lines. Thev 
e valued as summer-flowering bulbs, and numerous low- 
growing varieties are in cultivation, especially of S tri- 
Mor and S. granaiflora, of various colors from white to 
crimson, generally with a dark center. The bulb of S. 
bulbifera is edible. See harlequin-flou'er 
sparblet, . *. See sparple. 
spar-buoy (spiir'boi), n. A buoy for marking 
a channel, etc., made of a spar moored by one 
end so that the other end will stand up above 
le water. Spar-buoys are much used in nav- 
igable channels where ice runs swiftly. See 
cut under buoy. 
5796 
sparclet, r. and . An old spelling of sparkle. 
spar-deck (spar'dek), n. Naut., the upper 
deck of a vessel, extending from stem to stern 
and including the quarter-deck and poop-deck : 
so called as being that on or above which the 
spars are disposed. See deck, 2, and cuts under 
forecastle and frame. 
spar-dust (spar'dust), n. The dust in wood 
which is produced by insects. Halliwell. [Prov. 
Eng.] 
spare 1 (spar), a. [< ME. spar (rare), < AS. spxr, 
= OHG. spar = Icel. sparr, spare, sparing; also 
in comp. or deriv. AS. speer-liende, spser-hynde, 
later sparhende = OHG. sparhenti, sparing; AS. 
sper-lic, sparing, = G. sparlich, frugal ; G. spar- 
sain = Sw. sparsam = Dan. sparsom, sparing; 
prob. akin to L. parcus, sparing, par cere, spare 
(see parcity, parsimony); Gr. a-rrapvo;, scattered, 
rare, < aireipeiv, scatter, sow (see spore, sperm*).] 
1. Scanty; meager; frugal; not plentiful or 
abundant: as, a spare diet. 
But there are scenes where Nature's niggard hand 
Gave a spare portion to the famish'd land. 
Crabbe, Works, I. 8. 
2. Lacking in substance; lean; gaunt; poor; 
thin; flimsy. 
give me the spare men, and spare me the great ones. 
Shale., 2 Hen. IV., ill. 2. 288. 
Sir Launfal's raiment thin and spare 
Was idle mail 'gainst the barbed air. 
Lowell, Vision of Sir Launfal, ii. 
3. Reserved; chary; cautious. 
A man to be in giuing free, in asking spare, in promise 
slow, in performance speedy. 
Puttenham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 245. 
4. That may be spared, dispensed with, or ap- 
plied to a different purpose; not needed for 
regular or appointed uses ; superabundant : as, 
spare time for recreation ; spare cash. 
When I am excellent at caudles, 
And cullises, and have enough spare gold 
To toil away, you shall be welcome to me. 
Beau, and Ft., Captain, i. 3. 
5. Reserved from common use ; provided or 
held for extra need; not regularly required: 
as, a spare anchor; a spare umbrella. 
A spare parlor and bedroom I refurnished entirely with 
old mahogany and crimson upholstery. 
Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, xxxiv. 
6. In zool., sparingly distributed; remote from 
one another; few in number; sparse: as, spare 
hairs, spots, or punctures. =8yn. 4 and 5. Supernu- 
merary, extra. 
spare 1 (spar), c.; pret. and pp. spared, ppr. spar- 
ing. [< ME. sparen, sparien, < AS. sparian = 
OFries. bpara = D. sparen = MLG. sparen = 
OHG. sparon, MHG. sparn, G. sparen = Icel. 
Sw. spara = Dan. spare, spare (cf. L. parcere 
(V spar), spare); from the adj.] I. trans. 1. 
To be frugal, saving, or chary of; refrain from 
employing freely ; use or dispense with moder- 
ation. 
He that spareth his rod hateth his son. Prov. xiii. 24. 
Had he but spared his tongue and pen, 
He might have rose like other men. 
Sunft, Death of Dr. Swift. 
2. To dispense with; give or yield up; part 
with the use, possession, or presence of; do 
without, as for a motive or because of super- 
fluity. 
I could have better spared a better man. 
Shale., 1 Hen. IV., v. 4. 104. 
3. To withhold the use or doing of; refrain 
from; omit; forbear; forego: often with a sec- 
ond (indirect) object. 
The rather will I spare my praises towards him 
Knowing him is enough. Shak., All's Well, ii. 1. 106. 
Spare my sight the pain 
Of seeing what a world of tears it costs you. 
Dryden, Spanish Friar, v. 1. 
But ; if thou spare to fling Excalibur, 
I will arise and slay thee with my hands. 
Tennyson, Morte d'Arthur. 
4. To refrain from injury to; leave unhurt or 
undisturbed ; forbear from harming or destroy- 
ing; treat with moderation or consideration; 
withhold severity or exaction from; refrain 
from unkindness to; specifically, to allow to 
live. 
Spare ye not her young men ; destroy ye utterly all her 
Jer. 11. 3. 
My husband is thy friend ; for his sake spare me. 
Shak., Lucrece, 1. 582. 
But now, if spared, it Is my full intent 
On all the past to ponder and repent. 
Crabbe, Works, I. 99. 
As a man constrained, the tale he told 
from end to end, nor spared himself one whit 
William Morris, Earthly Paradise, I. 350 
Sparganium 
5. Used reflexively, to IIP sparing of one's self; 
be chary or diffident ; act with reserve. 
Hir thoughte that a lady sholde hire spare, 
What for hire kynrede and hire nortelrie. 
Chaucer, Reeve's Tale, 1, 4rj. 
II. iiili'iiiiH. 1. To be frugal or saying; econ- 
omize ; act parsimoniously or stingily. 
I, who at some times spend, at others tfjmre, 
Divided between carelessness and care. 
Pope, Imit. of Horace, II. ii. am. 
2. To withhold action of any kind ; refrain from 
the doing of something, especially something 
harmful or harsh ; hold one's hand; keep quiet; 
hold off. 
He may nat spare althogh he were bis brother, 
He moot as wel seye o word as another. 
Chaucer, Gen. Pro), to ('. T., 1. T:t7. 
Whan thay to thar master cam, 
Leytell John wold not spar. 
Robin Hood and the Potter (Child's Ballads, V. 2). 
To spare for. (a) To be saving or reserved on account 
of or with reference to ; stint t>e use or amount of : as, 
he spared not for risk or cost to accomplish his purpose. 
I shall spare for no spence & thu spede wele, 
And do thi deuer duly as a duke nobill. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 233. 
(6t) To withhold effort for ; desist from. York Plays, p. 
352. (ct) To refrain on account of ; allow to deter or hin- 
der. Babees Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 36. 
spare 1 (spar), n. [< spare*, <.] If. Frugal use: 
saving; economy; moderation; restraint. 
Spend in measure as thou doest get ; 
Make spare of that thou haste. 
Babees Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 94. 
Our victuals failed us, though we made good spare of 
them. Bacon, New Atlantis. 
Pour'd out their plenty without spight or spare. 
Spenser, F. Q., III. 1. 61. 
2. In American bowling, an advantage gained 
by the knocking down of all the pins by rolling 
two balls: as, to make a spare, in such acase, when 
the player's turn comes again, the pins knocked down by 
his flrst ball are added to those made in the spare to com- 
plete the record of that turn, while they count also in the 
record of the new turn. Compare strike. 
spare 2 ! (spar), . [Early mod. E. also sparre, 
Kpai/ere, spay re; < ME. speyre, speyr; origin ob- 
scure.] An opening in a gown or petticoat ; a 
placket. Prompt. Pan:, p. 468. 
She took out a little penknife, 
Hung low down by her spare. 
Sir Hugh, or the Jew's Daughter (Child's Ballads, III. 33'J). 
spare-built (spar'bilt), . Built or formed with- 
out fullness or robustness; slender, flcott. 
Rokeby, ii. 22. 
sparefult (spar'fiil), . [< spare* + -//.] 
Sparing; chary. Fairfax. 
sparefulnesst (spar'ful-nes), . The quality of 
being spareful or sparing. 
Largess his hands could never skill of sparefulness. 
Sir P. Sidney, Arcadia, ii. 
sparely (spar'li),rtdr. [< WE.sparlictic ( = MHG. 
sperliche): < sparr* + -7//2.] Sparingly; scan- 
tily; thinly; leanly. 
Ye valleys low, . . . 
On whose fresh lap the swart-star sparely looks. 
Milton, Lycidas, 1. 138. 
spareness (spar'nes), . [Cf. AS. spsernes, fru- 
gality.] The state of being spare, lean, or thin ; 
leanness. 
sparer (spar'er), n. [< ME. sparare; < spare*, 
v., + -er*.] One who spares, or avoids unneces- 
sary expense; a frugal spender. [Rare.] 
By nature far from profusion, and yet a greater sparer 
than a saver. Sir H. Wotton. 
sparerib (spar'rib). w. [Formerly also spear- 
rib; < spare* + rib*.] A cut , 
of pork consisting of the up- 
per part of a row of ribs with 
the meat adhering to them. 
Sparerib roasted or broiled is 
esteemed a delicacy. 
Sparganium (spar-ga'ni-um), 
. [NL. (Tournefort, 1700), 
< L. sparganion, < Gr. aimp- 
yaviw, a plant, bur-reed, so 
called from the ribbon-like 
leaves, dim. of oirdpyavov, a fil- 
let, a swaddling-band, < axap- 
yetv, swathe.] A genus of 
monocotyledonous plants, of 
the order Typliacese. It is dis- 
tinguished from the other genus of 
that order, Typha, by hyaline scales 
of the perianth, oblong or wedge- 
shaped anthers, and sessile ovary. 
There are about 6 species, natives of 
both hemispheres in temperate and Bur-reed (Sfarfanium 
subfrigid regions. Three somewhat eKtycarfum). 
polymorphous species occur in the ' Flowering plant. 2 
northeastern United States. They Part of the inflorescence. 
are aquatic herbs, sending up from fS'nf aX' * lohularfe 
