Spar Definition

spär

sparred, sparring, spars

noun

spars

Any pole, as a mast, yard, boom, or gaff, supporting or extending a sail of a ship.

Webster's New World

A usually metal pole used as part of a crane or derrick.

American Heritage

Any of the main structural beams attached to the fuselage of an airplane to support the wings.

Webster's New World

Any shiny, crystalline, nonmetallic mineral that cleaves easily into chips or flakes.

Calcspar.

Webster's New World

A motion of attack or defense in boxing.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

Synonyms:
sparring
contest
fight
sparring match
pugilism

verb

sparred, sparring, spars

To supply with spars.

American Heritage

To fight with an opponent in a short bout or practice session, as in boxing or the martial arts.

American Heritage

To box with jabbing or feinting movements, landing few heavy blows, as in exhibition or practice matches.

Webster's New World

To fasten with a bolt.

American Heritage

To make boxing or fighting motions without hitting one's opponent.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Spar

Noun

Singular:

spar

Plural:

spars

Origin of Spar

From Middle English sparre (“spar, rafter, beam") (noun), sparren (“to close, bar") (verb), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sparrô (“stake, beam"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)par- (“beam, log"). Compare Dutch spar (“balk"), German Sparren (“rafter, spar"), Danish sparre (“spar"). Perhaps also compare spear, park.

From Wiktionary
From Middle English sparren (“to thrust or strike rapidly"), from Old English sperran, spirran, spyrran (“to strike, strike out at, spar"), related to Low German sparre (“a struggling, striving"), German sich sperren (“to struggle, resist, oppose"), Icelandic sperrask (“to kick out at, thrust, struggle").

From Wiktionary
From Middle Low German spar, sper (“spar"); or from a backformation of sparstone (“spar"), from Middle English sparston (“gypsum, chalk"), from Old English spærstān (“gypsum"). Related to German Sparkalk (“plaster"), Old English spæren (“of plaster, of mortar").

From Wiktionary
Middle English sparren to thrust or strike rapidly perhaps from obsolete French esparer to kick from Old Italian sparare to fling s- intensive pref. sforzando parare to ward off parry

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Contraction of Latin semper parātus always prepared, the motto of the US Coast Guard semper always parātus prepared

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Low German from Middle Low German Old English spær- (in spær-stān gypsum)

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Middle English sparre rafter

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition