ˈspred.ə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English spreder, from spreden to spread + -er
1. : one that spreads, scatters, or diffuses: as
a. : an implement for spreading material (as fertilizer, hay, sand, lime) over an area
heavy trucks with sand spreaders
b. : a small knife-shaped implement for use at the table especially in spreading butter
c. : a worker in a bakery who spreads icing or filling (as on cookies)
d. : plasterer
e.
(1) also spreading machine : a machine for coating fabrics especially with rubber
(2) : a tender of a spreading machine
f. : a wetting agent (as soap, oil emulsion, or casein) added to fungicides and insecticides to increase their spreading on foliage by lowering the surface tension
g. or spreader dam : a dike or trench forcing runoff water to disperse over a wide area instead of following a channel
2. : one that spreads, stretches, or draws out something being processed: as
a. : one that layers cloth on a table for pattern cutting
b.
(1) : a textile machine for combining and drawing flax fiber into a sliver
(2) : a similar machine for straightening and evening fibers (as hemp) for rope making
(3) : any of various textile machines for spreading out the warp threads during winding, fibers for drying, and loops on a knitting machine
c.
(1) : tacker a
(2) : gambrel 2
3. : one that spreads, holds, or keeps apart: as
a. : a bar holding apart two stays or guys to stretch them and so stiffen a spar (as a topmast or jibboom) — compare crosstree
b. : any of a series of crossbearers that supports a line of rails (as in an adit or heading)
c. : a bar that holds two whiffletrees apart : doubletree
d. : a stick or bar for holding apart the wires of a radio aerial
e. : a small bar or roll so placed as to ensure even tension across a web of paper entering a calender, winder, or printing press