SPAN


Meaning of SPAN in English

I. ˈspan

archaic past of spin

II. noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English spann; akin to Old High German spanna span, Middle Dutch spannen to stretch, hitch up

Date: before 12th century

1. : the distance from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger of a spread hand ; also : an English unit of length equal to nine inches (22.9 centimeters)

2. : an extent, stretch, reach, or spread between two limits: as

a. : a limited space (as of time) ; especially : an individual's lifetime

b. : the spread or extent between abutments or supports (as of a bridge) ; also : a portion thus supported

c. : the maximum distance laterally from tip to tip of an airplane

III. transitive verb

( spanned ; span·ning )

Date: 1560

1.

a. : to measure by or as if by the hand with fingers and thumb extended

b. : measure

2.

a. : to extend across

a career that spanned four decades

b. : to form an arch over

a small bridge spanned the pond

c. : to place or construct a span over

3. : to be capable of expressing any element of under given operations

a set of vectors that span s a vector space

IV. noun

Etymology: Dutch, from Middle Dutch, from spannen to hitch up

Date: 1769

: a pair of animals (as mules) usually matched in appearance and action and driven together

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.