Spear

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Spear, n. [OE. spere, AS. spere; akin to D. & G. speer, OS. & OHS. sper, Icel. spjör, pl., Dan. spær, L. sparus.].

•  A long, pointed weapon, used in war and hunting, by thrusting or throwing; a weapon with a long shaft and a sharp head or blade; a lance.

  "[See Illust. of Spearhead.]"  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

  "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks."  [1913 Webster]
•  Fig.: A spearman.  Sir W. Scott.  [1913 Webster]
•  A sharp-pointed instrument with barbs, used for stabbing fish and other animals.  [1913 Webster]
•  A shoot, as of grass; a spire.  [1913 Webster]
•  The feather of a horse. See Feather, n., 4.  [1913 Webster]
•  The rod to which the bucket, or plunger, of a pump is attached; a pump rod.  [1913 Webster]

Spear foot, the off hind foot of a horse. -- Spear grass. (Bot.) (a) The common reed. See Reed, n., 1. (b) meadow grass. See under Meadow. -- Spear hand, the hand in which a horseman holds a spear; the right hand. Crabb. -- Spear side, the male line of a family. Lowell. -- Spear thistle (Bot.), the common thistle (Cnicus lanceolatus).

Spear, v. t. 

 To pierce with a spear; to kill with a spear; as, to spear a fish.  [1913 Webster]

Spear, v. i. 

 To shoot into a long stem, as some plants. See Spire.  Mortimer.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Spear, n. & v.
--n.
1 a thrusting or throwing weapon with a pointed usu. steel tip and a long shaft.
2 a similar barbed instrument used for catching fish etc.
3 archaic a spearman.
4 a pointed stem of asparagus etc.
--v.tr. pierce or strike with or as if with a spear (speared an olive).

Idiom

spear gun a gun used to propel a spear in underwater fishing. spear side the male side of a family.

Etymology

OE spere

THESAURUS

Spear

anthrophore, assegai, auger, axis, bag, bayonet, bill, bine, bite, blade, bole, bore, bough, bract, bracteole, bractlet, branch, branchedness, branchiness, broach, burgeon, cane, carpophore, catch, caudex, caulicle, caulis, cotyledon, countersink, culm, dagger, deadwood, dirk, drill, empierce, enmesh, ensnare, entangle, entrap, fix, flag, flagellum, floral leaf, foliole, footstalk, fork, foul, frond, funicule, funiculus, glume, gore, gouge, gouge out, halberd, harpoon, haulm, hole, honeycomb, hook, impale, involucre, involucrum, javelin, knife, lamina, lance, land, lasso, leaf, leaflet, leafstalk, lemma, ligule, limb, mesh, nail, needle, net, noose, offshoot, partisan, pedicel, peduncle, penetrate, perforate, petal, petiole, petiolule, petiolus, pierce, pike, pile, pine needle, pink, plunge in, poniard, prick, punch, puncture, ramage, ramification, ream, ream out, reed, riddle, rope, run through, runner, saber, sack, sarment, scion, seed leaf, seedstalk, sepal, shoot, skewer, slip, snag, snare, sniggle, spathe, spike, spire, spit, spontoon, spray, sprig, sprit, sprout, stab, stalk, stem, stick, stiletto, stipe, stipula, stipule, stock, stolon, straw, sucker, switch, sword, take, tangle, tangle up with, tap, tendril, thallus, tigella, transfix, transpierce, trap, trepan, trephine, trunk, twig

ROGET THESAURUS

Spear

Arms

N arm, arms, weapon, deadly weapon, armament, armaments, armature, panoply, stand of arms, armor, armory, apparatus belli, ammunition, powder, powder and shot, cartridge, ball cartridge, cartouche, fireball, villainous saltpeter, dumdum bullet, explosive, gunpowder, guncotton, mercury fulminate, picrates, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, PETN, high explosive, trinitrotoluene, TNT, dynamite, melinite, cordite, lyddite, plastic explosive, plastique, pyroxyline, sword, saber, broadsword, cutlass, falchion, scimitar, cimeter, brand, whinyard, bilbo, glaive, glave, rapier, skean, Toledo, Ferrara, tuck, claymore, adaga, baselard, Lochaber ax, skean dhu, creese, kris, dagger, dirk, banger, poniard, stiletto, stylet, dudgeon, bayonet, sword-bayonet, sword-stick, side arms, foil, blade, steel, ax, bill, pole-ax, battle-ax, gisarme, halberd, partisan, tomahawk, bowie knife, ataghan, attaghan, yataghan, yatacban, assagai, assegai, good sword, trusty sword, naked sword, cold steel, club, mace, truncheon, staff, bludgeon, cudgel, life preserver, shillelah, sprig, hand staff, quarter staff, bat, cane, stick, knuckle duster, billy, blackjack, sandbag, waddy, gun, piece, firearms, artillery, ordnance, siege train, battering train, park, battery, cannon, gun of position, heavy gun, field piece, mortar, howitzer, carronade, culverin, basilisk, falconet, jingal, swivel, pederero, bouche a feu, petard, torpedo, mitrailleur, mitrailleuse, infernal machine, smooth bore, rifled cannon, Armstrong gun, Lancaster gun, Paixhan gun, Whitworth gun, Parrott gun, Krupp gun, Gatling gun, Maxim gun, machine gun, pompom, ten pounder, small arms, musket, musketry, firelock, fowling piece, rifle, fusil, caliver, carbine, blunderbuss, musketoon, Brown Bess, matchlock, harquebuss, arquebus, haguebut, pistol, postolet, petronel, small bore, breach-loader, muzzle-loader, revolver, repeater, Minis rifle, Enfield rifle, Flobert rifle, Westley Richards rifle, Snider rifle, Martini-Henry rifle, Lee-Metford rifle, Lee-Enfield rifle, Mauser rifle, magazine rifle, needle gun, chassepot, wind gun, air gun, automatic gun, automatic pistol, escopet, escopette, gunflint, gun- lock, hackbut, shooter, shooting iron, six-shooter, shotgun, Uzzi, assault rifle, Kalashnikov, bow, crossbow, balister, catapult, sling, battering ram, gunnery, ballistics, missile, bolt, projectile, shot, ball, grape, grape shot, canister shot, bar shot, cannon shot, langrel shot, langrage shot, round shot, chain shot, balista, ballista, slung shot, trebucbet, trebucket, bullet, slug, stone, brickbat, grenade, shell, bomb, carcass, rocket, congreve, congreve rocket, shrapnel, mitraille, levin bolt, levin brand, thunderbolt, pike, lance, spear, spontoon, javelin, dart, jereed, jerid, arrow, reed, shaft, bolt, boomerang, harpoon, gaff, eelspear, oxgoad, weet-weet, wommerah, cattle prod, chemical mace, en flute, nervos belli pecuniam infinitam.

Opening

VB open, ope, gape, yawn, bilge, fly open, perforate, pierce, empierce, tap, bore, drill, mine, tunnel, transpierce, transfix, enfilade, impale, spike, spear, gore, spit, stab, pink, puncture, lance, stick, prick, riddle, punch, stave in, cut a passage through, make way for, make room for, uncover, unclose, unrip, lay open, cut open, rip open, throw open, pop open, blow open, pry open, tear open, pull open.

Perforator

N perforator, piercer, borer, auger, chisel, gimlet, stylet, drill, wimble, awl, bradawl, scoop, terrier, corkscrew, dibble, trocar, trepan, probe, bodkin, needle, stiletto, rimer, warder, lancet, punch, puncheon, spikebit, gouge, spear, puncher, punching machine, punching press, punch pliers.