SPATE


Meaning of SPATE in English

/ speɪt; NAmE / noun

[ usually sing. ] spate of sth a large number of things, which are usually unpleasant, that happen suddenly within a short period of time :

The bombing was the latest in a spate of terrorist attacks.

IDIOMS

- in (full) spate

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WORD ORIGIN

late Middle English (originally Scots and northern English in the sense flood, inundation ): of unknown origin.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.