spongy 
lar/e (which see, under elastic). Spongy Platinum, plati- 
num-sponge. See sponije, ft., 3. 
spongy-pubescent (spun"ji-pu-bes'eut), a. In 
I'litom., having a very compact pubescence, re- 
sembling the surface of a sponge. 
spongy-villous (spun'ji-vil'us), a. In hot., so 
thickly covered with fine soft hairs as to be 
spongy or to resemble a sponge. 
sponkt, a- An obsolete form of spunk. 
sponnent, sponnet, r. Obsolete forms of the 
preterit plural and past participle of spin. 
sponsal (spon'sal), . [< L. sponsaUs, pertain- 
ing to betrothal or espousal, < sponsitg, a be- 
trothal : see spouse.'] Relating to marriage or 
to a spouse. Bailey, 1731. 
sponsible (spon'si-bl), a. [An aphetic form of 
responsible."] 1. Capable of discharging an ob- 
ligation; responsible. Scott, Rob Roy, xxvi. 
2. Respectable; creditable; becoming one's 
station. 
sponsing (spon'sing), . Same as sponson. 
sponsion (spon'shou), n. [< L. sponsio(n-), a 
solemn promise or engagement, security, < 
spondere, pp. sponsus, engage oneself, promise 
solemnly: see sponsor."] 1. The act of becom- 
ing surety for another. 2. In international 
law, an act or engagement made on behalf of 
a state by an agent not specially authorized. 
Such conventions must be confirmed by express 
or tacit ratification. 
sponsional (spon'shon-al), a. [< sponsion + 
-al.] Responsible; implying a pledge. [Rare.] 
He is righteous even in that representative and span- 
film nl person he put on. A bp. Leighton, Sermons, v. 
sponson (spon'son), . [Also sponsing ; origin 
obscure.] Naui., the curve of the timbers and 
planking toward the outer part of the wing, 
5854 
Such actions, though voluntary, lack recognizable motive, 
and appear to depend upon the tension of a vigorous 
nervous system refreshed by repose. Such spontaneity 
is notable in the great activity of children and the gam- 
bols of young animals. Spontaneity of certain cogni- 
tive faculties, in the philosophy of Kant, the self-activity 
of those faculties which are not determined to act by any- 
thing in the sense-impressions on which they act. But the 
conception is not made very clear by Kant. 
spontaneous (spon-ta'ne-us), a. [= F. spontant 
= Sp. Pg. rxi>iiiitii>it'o = It.xpoHta>ieo, < LL., /- 
tuiieiis, willing, < L. *spon(t-)s, will, only in gen. 
spontis and abl. xponte, of one's own will, of 
one's own accord.] 1. Proceeding from a con- 
scious or unconscious internal impulse ; occur- 
ring or done without the intervention of exter- 
nal causes ; in a restricted sense, springing from 
one's own desire or volition, apart from any 
external suggestion or incitement. Of late the 
employment of spontaneous in the sense of ' irreflective ' or 
not controlled by a definite purpose' is creeping in from 
the French ; but this is an objectionable use of the term. 
The spontaneous grace with which these homely duties 
seemed to bloom out of her character. 
Ilnu-thonu, Seven Gables, v. 
Now my speculation is that advantageous permanent 
changes are always produced by the spontaneous action of 
the organism, and not by the direct action of the environ- 
ment. W. K. Cli/ord, Lectures, I. 101. 
A man whose nature leads him to a spontaneous fulfil- 
ment of the Divine will cannot be conceived better. 
H. Spencer, Social Statics, p. 277. 
2. Growing naturally, without previous human 
care. 
a, a, Sponson. 
before and abaft each of the paddle-boxes of a 
steamer; also, the framework itself Sponson- 
beams, the projecting beams which contribute to form 
sponsons. 
sponsor (spon'sor), . [< L.pOW0r, a surety, 
LL. a sponsor in baptism, < xpondere, pp. spon- 
sus, promise ; cf . Gr. airovAai (pi. of a-novM/), a 
truce, < mrivoetv, pour, a libation, as when mak- 
ing a solemn treaty: see spondee. From L. 
spondere are also ult. despond, respond, cor- 
respond, spouse, espousal, etc.] 1. A surety; 
one who binds himself to answer for another, 
and is responsible for his default ; specifically, 
one who is surety for an infant at baptism, 
professing the Christian faith in its name, and 
guaranteeing its religious education ; a god- 
father or godmother. The custom of having 
sponsors in baptism is as old as the second 
century. See godfather. 2. [cap.] [NL.] In 
entom., a genus of coleopterous insects. 
sponsorial (spon-so'ri-al), a. [< sponsor + 
-i-al.~\ Of or pertaining to a sponsor. 
sponsorship (spon'sor-ship), n. [< sponsor + 
-ship.] The state of being a sponsor. 
spontaneity (spon-ta-ne'i-tl), H. [< F. sponta- 
neite = Sp. esppiitaneidad = Pg. espontaneidade 
= It. spontaneita, < ML. *spontaneita(t-)s, < LL. 
spontaneus, spontaneous: see spontaneous.] 1. 
Spontaneous character or quality ; that charac- 
ter of any action of any subject by virtue of 
which it takes place without being caused by 
anything distinguishable from the subject it- 
self. Spontaneity does not imply the absence of a pur- 
pose or external end, but the absence of an external in- 
citement or external efficient cause. 
2. In biol., the fact of apparently automatic 
change in structure, or activity in function, 
of animals and plants, whereby new charac- 
ters may be acquired, or certain actions per- 
formed, under no influence of external condi- 
tions or stimulus ; animal or vegetable autom- 
atism, (a) The inherent tendency of an individual or- 
ganism to vary in structure without reference to its con- 
ditions of environment, as when a plant or animal sports ; 
spontaneous variability. Some of the moat valuable strains 
of domestic animals and cultivated plants have arisen 
thus spontaneously. (6) The tendency to purposeless ac- 
tivity of the muscular system of animals, whereby they 
execute movements independent of external stimulus. 
Spontaneous flowers take the place of the finished par- 
terre. Goldsmith, Citizen of the World, xxxL 
3. Growing as native ; indigenous. [Rare.] 
Whence they had their Indian corn I can give no ac- 
count ; for I don't believe that it was spontaneous in those 
parts. Beverley, Hist. Virginia, iv. If 20. 
4. In biol., instinctive or automatic, as some 
actions of animals which depend upon no ex- 
ternal stimulus and are performed without ap- 
parent motive or purpose ; uninfluenced by ex- 
ternal conditions, as a change in structural 
character. Compare spontaneity, 2. Spontaneous 
actions may be either voluntary, in a usual sense, as the 
gambols of puppies or kittens, or involuntary and quite 
uncontrollable by the will. Of the latter class, some are 
abnormal, as spontaneous (In distinction from induced) 
somnambulism, and these are also called idiupathic. 
Center of spontaneous rotation. See rotation. Spon- 
taneous axis, an axis of rotation of a body under instan- 
taneous forces, in case there to no translation in the first 
instant. Spontaneous cause, a cause that is moved to 
causing by the end or the object. Spontaneous com- 
bustion. See combustion. Spontaneous dislocation. 
See dislocation, 2 (a). Spontaneous energy, free energy, 
unrepressed and unforced. Spontaneous evolution, In 
obstet., the spontaneous expulsion of the fetus in a case of 
shoulder presentation, the body being delivered before 
the head. Spontaneous generation. See generation 
and abiogenesis. Spontaneous suggestion, suggestion 
by the action of the laws of association, without the inter- 
vention of the will. = Syn. 1. Willing, etc. (see voluntary), 
instinctive, unbidden. 
spontaneously (spon-ta'ne-us-li), adr. In a 
spontaneous manner; will/spontaneity. 
spontaneousness (spon-ta'ne-us-nes), . The 
character of being spontaneous ; spontaneity. 
spontoon (spon-ton'), n. [Formerly also espon- 
ton; = G. spoil ton, < F. span ton, esponton, F. dial. 
eponton = Sp. esponton = Pg. espontSo, < It. span- 
tone, spuntone, a sharp point, a bill, javelin, pike, 
spontoon ; cf . spun tare, shoot forth, break off the 
point, blunt; puntone, a point, (punto, a prick, 
a point : see poin t 1 .] A kind of halberd or par- 
tizan formerly serving as the distinguishing arm 
for certain officers of the British infantry. Com- 
pare half-pike. Also called demi-pike. 
spook (spok), n. [Also sjiuke; < D. spook, MD. 
spoocke = MLG. spok, spftk, LG. spook = Gr.spueh 
(obs. except in dial, use), also spuJc (after LG. ) 
= Sw. spoke (cf . D. spooksel, MD. spoocksel, Dan. 
spogelse), a spook, ghost. There is nothing to 
show any connection with Ir. puca, elf, sprite, 
= 'W.pwea,pwci: see puck, pugl.] A ghost; a 
hobgoblin. [Now colloq.] 
Woden, who, first losing his identity in the Wild Hunts- 
man, sinks by degrees into the mere spook of a Suabian 
baron, sinfully fond of field-sports. 
LoweU, Among my Books, 1st sen, p. 118. 
spook (spok), c. i. [= D. spoken = MLG. spoken 
= Gr. spitken, spucken = Sw. spoka = Dan. spoge; 
from the noun.] To play the spook. [Rare.] 
Yet still the New World spooked it in his veins, 
A ghost he could not lay with all his pains. 
Lowell, Kitz Adam's Story. 
spookish (spo'kish), a. [< spook + -i'sTfi.] 1. 
Like a spook or ghost; ghostly. 2. Given 
over to spooks; congenial to ghosts; haunted: 
as, a spookisli house. 3. Affected by a sense or 
fear of ghosts; suggestive of the presence or 
agency of spooks: as, a spookish circumstance ; 
a spookish sensation. [Colloq. in all uses.] 
spoon 
spooky (spii'ki), n. [< spook + -1/1.] Same as 
.*litMikitth. in any sense. [Colloq.] 
spool (spol),H. "[< JIE. spole (noi in AS.),<MD. 
x/miic, I), xjintl, a spool, quill, = MLG. spole, 
LG. spole = OHG. spuolo, spuold, MHG. spuole, 
(1. sjiiilr, a spool, bobbin, = Icel. spola = Sw. 
Dan. spole, a spool (cf. It. spola, spnola, bobbin, 
()!'. fjialcl, spindle, < Teut); perhaps akin to 
Icel. xpiilr, a rail, a bar: see ttpate.] 1. A small 
cylinder of wood or other material (with a pro- 
jecting disk at each end), upon which thread or 
yarn is wound; a reel. 2. The revolving metal 
shaft of an anglers' reel, upon which the fishing- 
line is wound. See cut under reel. 
spool (spiil), r. t. [< spool, n.] To wind on a 
spool. 
spool-cotton (spol'kofn), n. Cotton thread 
wound on spools. 
spooler (spo'ler), w. [< spixil + -<)!.] One who 
winds, or a machine used in winding, thread 
or yarn on spools. Cre, Diet., IV. 122. 
spool-holder (spdThol"der), H. 1. A stand for 
one or more spools of sewing-thread, on whicli 
the spools are mounted on pins, so as to turn 
freely as the thread is unwound. Also spool- 
stdini. 2. In warping,*& creel on which spools 
are placed on skewers. 
spooling-machine (spo'ling-ma-shen*), . A 
machine for winding thread on spools. 
spooling-wheel (spo'ling-hwel), . Same as 
spole, 2. HalUweH. 
spool-Stand (spoTstand), n. Same as spool- 
holder, 1. 
spoomt (spom), . [Supposed to be a var. of 
spume, q. v. Cf. spoon'*.] I. intrans. Naut., to 
sail steadily and rapidly, as before the wind. 
Well spare her our main-top sail : 
She shall not look us long, we are no starters. 
Down with the fore-sail too ! we'll spooin before her. 
Fletcher, Double Marriage, ii. 1. 
II. trans. To cause to scud, as before the 
wind. 
Spoom her before the wind, you'll lose all else ! 
Fletcher (and another), Two Noble Kinsmen, iii. 4. 
spooming (spo'ming), p. a. Rushing before the 
wind: in the quotation perhaps used errone- 
ously in the sense of 'foaming,' 'surging,' 
' roaring.' 
O Moon ! far spooming Ocean bows to thee. 
Keats, Endymion, iii. 
spoon 1 (spon), . [< ME. spoon, spone, spoil, 
span, < AS. spon, a splinter of wood, chip, = 
OFries. spon, span = D. spaen, spaan = MLG. 
spon, LG. spoon = MHG. span, G. span, a thin 
piece of wood, shaving, chip, = Icel. spann, 
sponn = Sw. spdn = Dan. spaan, a chip; root 
uncertain. Cf. span-new, spick-and-span-neic.] 
If. A thin piece of wood; a splinter; a chip. 
A fyre of sponys, and lowe of gromis 
Full soun woll be att a nende [an end]. 
Booke of Precedence (E. E. T. 3., extra ser.), p. 41. 
2. A utensil consisting of a bowl or concave 
part and a handle, used for conveying liquids or 
liquid food to the mouth. Spoons were originally 
of wood, later of horn or metal. They are now made usu- 
ally of silver, gold, iron, or mixed metal, of wood, horn, 
shell, or other materials, in various sizes and shapes, and 
for a great variety of purposes. Compare dessert-spoon, 
egg-spoon, table-spoon, etc. 
He must have a long spoon that must eat with the devil. 
Shale., C. of E., iv. 3. 62. 
3. Something wholly or in part like a spoon 
(def . 2) or the bowl of a spoon in shape. Specifi- 
cally (a) The blade of an oar when broad and slightly 
curved, or an oar with such a curved blade. (6) A bright 
spoon-shaped piece of metal or other substance, swiveled 
above hooks, used as a lure or decoy in fishing. It revolves 
as it is drawn through the water, (c) A piece cut from the 
horn of an ox or bison, in the shape of an elongated bowl 
of a spoon, six to eight inches in length. It is used in 
gold-washing, and for testing the value of any kind of 
detrital material or pulverized ore. (d) A club the strik- 
ing-surface of which is somewhat hollowed, used in the 
game of golf, (e) The spoonbill or paddle-fish. (/) In 
ornith., the spatulate dilatation at the end of the bill of a 
spoon-billed bird, (ff) lu cotton-manuf., a weighted grav- 
itating arm in the stop-motion of a drawing-frame. One 
of these is held in position by the tension of each sliver, 
and in case the sliver breaks or the can becomes empty, 
and the tension is thus relieved, it falls, and, actuating a 
belt-shifter, causes the driving-belt to slip from the fast 
pulley to the loose pulley, thus stopping the machine, (h) 
In archery, same as petticoat, a. Apostle's spoon. See 
apostle-spoon. Bag and spoon. See 6yi. Deflagrat- 
Ing-spoon, a small spoon of metal, upon which a sub- 
stance which is to be deflagrated is subjected to the 
action of heat. Eucharlstic spoon. -Same as labis. 
Maidenhead spoon. See maidenhead. To be born 
with a silver spoon In one's mouth. See iwmi. 
Wooden spoon, (a) At Cambridge University, the stu- 
dent whose name stands last in the Mathematical Tripos. 
(6) At Yale, formerly, the student who took the last ap- 
pointment at the Junior Exhibition ; later, the most popu- 
lar student in a class. 
