n.
Pronunciation: ' spän(t)-s ə n
Function: noun
Etymology: perhaps by shortening & alteration from expansion
Date: 1835
1 a : a projection (as a gun platform) from the side of a ship or a tank b : an air chamber along a canoe to increase stability and buoyancy
2 : a light air-filled structure or a winglike part protruding from the hull of a seaplane to steady it on water