n.
Function: noun
Date: 1626
1 a : the act or process of spreading b : extent of spreading
2 : something spread out: as a : a surface area : EXPANSE b (1) : a ranch or homestead especially in the western U.S. (2) West : a herd of animals c (1) : a prominent display in a periodical (2) : two facing pages (as of a newspaper) usually with matter running across the fold also : the matter occupying these pages
3 : something spread on or over a surface: as a : a food to be spread (as on bread or crackers) <a cheese spread > b : a sumptuous meal : FEAST c : a cloth cover for a table or bed
4 : distance between two points : GAP
5 : a commodities market transaction in which a participant hedges with simultaneous long and short options in different commodities or different delivery dates in the same commodity