I. ˈspād noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English spadu, spædu; akin to Old Frisian spada spade, Old Saxon spado, Middle High German spat, spate, Icelandic spathi spade, Greek spathē blade, Hittite išpatar spit, Old High German spān chip of wood — more at spoon
1.
a. : an implement for turning soil resembling a shovel, adapted for being pushed into the ground with the foot and having a heavy, usually flat and oblong blade
b.
(1) : the depth a spade reaches in digging
ditches two spades deep
(2) : the total length of a spade
2. : any of several spade-shaped instruments: as
a. : a cutting instrument used in flensing a whale
b. : a spade-shaped prong on the underside of the trail of a gun carriage that is embedded in the ground to check recoil of the carriage
c. : a long-handled tool similar in appearance to a garden spade used for compacting and smoothing vertical surfaces of freshly-placed concrete in forms
3. : the horny formation on the heel of the spadefoot toad
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1.
a. : to dig up or out with a spade : pare off with a spade
spade a garden
spade a trench
b. : to place or cover with a spade
spade plants in
spade fertilizer under
2. : to compact and smooth (a vertical surface of freshly placed concrete) by operating a spade up and down between the form and the concrete
intransitive verb
: to use a spade
Synonyms: see dig
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
: a three-year old stag
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Italian spada or Spanish espada sword (used as a mark on playing cards), both from Latin spatha spatula, broad sword, from Greek spathē blade — more at spade I
1.
a. : a usually black figure ♠ impressed on each card of one of the four suits of a pack of playing cards
b. : a card marked with this figure
c. spades plural : the suit of cards marked with this figure
he was strong in spades
d. : an odd trick in bridge won or contracted for with spades as trumps
I bid one spade
four spades bid and made
e. spades plural : the winning of the majority of the spades in casino ; also : the score of one point for this
2. slang : negro ; especially : a dark-skinned Negro — usually taken to be offensive
•
- in spades
V. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: by folk etymology from spay
chiefly dialect : spay