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Added 9 October 2026

spear

/spɪə̯(ɹ)/ noun

In Latin: hasta, lancea, dardus Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about spear at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A long stick with a sharp tip used as a weapon for throwing or thrusting, or anything used to make a thrusting motion.
A soldier armed with such a weapon; a spearman.
A lance with barbed prongs, used by fishermen to retrieve fish.

verb

To pierce with a spear.
To penetrate or strike with, or as if with, any long narrow object; to make a thrusting motion that catches an object on the tip of a long device.
To tackle an opponent by ramming into them with one's helmet.

adjective

Pertaining to male family members.
the spear side of the family

noun

The sprout of a plant, stalk
A church spire.

Origin

From Middle English spere, sperre, spear, from Old English spere, from Proto-West Germanic *speru, from Proto-Germanic *speru, from Proto-Indo-European *sperH-. Cognates See also West Frisian spear, Dutch speer, German Speer, Old Norse spjǫr, *sparrô, Middle Dutch sparre (“rafter”), Old Norse sparri (“spar, rafter”), sperra (“rafter, beam”); also Latin sparus (“short spear”), Albanian ferrë (“thorn, thornbush”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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