SPUR

I. noun see: ~n Date: before 12th century 1. a pointed device secured to a rider's heel and used to urge on the horse, recognition and reward for achievement , a goad to action ; stimulus , something projecting like or suggesting a ~: as, a projecting root or branch of a tree, shrub, or vine, b. a stiff sharp spine (as on the wings or legs of a bird or insect), a gaff for a gamecock, a hollow projecting appendage of a corolla or calyx (as in lark~ or columbine), a bony outgrowth (as on the heel of the foot), climbing iron , 4. an angular projection, offshoot, or branch extending out beyond or away from a main body or formation, a railroad track that branches off from a main line, a reinforcing buttress of masonry in a fortification, see: motive II. verb (~red; ~ring) Date: 13th century transitive verb to urge (a horse) on with ~s, to incite to action or accelerated growth or development ; stimulate , to put ~s on, intransitive verb to ~ one's horse on