Word Study
spade
CIDE DICTIONARY
- A hart or stag three years old. [1913 Webster]
- A castrated man or beast. [1913 Webster]
spade, n. [AS. spæd; spada; akin to D. spade, G. spaten, Icel. spa, Dan. & Sw. spade, L. spatha a spatula, a broad two-edged sword, a spathe, Gr. spa`qh. Cf. Epaulet, Spade at cards, Spathe, Spatula.].
- An implement for digging or cutting the ground, consisting usually of an oblong and nearly rectangular blade of iron, with a handle like that of a shovel. Milton. [1913 Webster]
- One of that suit of cards each of which bears one or more figures resembling a spade. [1913 Webster]"“Let spades be trumps!” she said." [1913 Webster]
- A cutting instrument used in flensing a whale. [1913 Webster]
spade, v. t.
To dig with a spade; to pare off the sward of, as land, with a spade. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
spade, n. & v.
--n.
1 a tool used for digging or cutting the ground etc., with a sharp-edged metal blade and a long handle.
2 a tool of a similar shape for various purposes, e.g. for removing the blubber from a whale.
3 anything resembling a spade.
--v.tr. dig over (ground) with a spade.
--n.
1 a tool used for digging or cutting the ground etc., with a sharp-edged metal blade and a long handle.
2 a tool of a similar shape for various purposes, e.g. for removing the blubber from a whale.
3 anything resembling a spade.
--v.tr. dig over (ground) with a spade.
Idiom
call a spade a spade speak plainly or bluntly. spade beard an oblong-shaped beard. spade foot a square spadelike enlargement at the end of a chair-leg.
Derivative
spadeful n. (pl. -fuls).
spade, n.
1 a a playing-card of a suit denoted by black inverted heart-shaped figures with small stalks. b (in pl.) this suit.
2 sl. offens. a Black.
1 a a playing-card of a suit denoted by black inverted heart-shaped figures with small stalks. b (in pl.) this suit.
2 sl. offens. a Black.
Idiom
in spades sl. to a high degree, with great force. spade guinea hist. a guinea of George III's reign with a spade-shaped shield on the reverse.
Etymology
It. spade pl. of spada sword f. L spatha f. Gk spathe, rel. to SPADE(1): assoc. with the shape of a pointed spade
THESAURUS
spade
American Indian, Amerind, Australian aborigine, Bushman, Caucasian, Indian, Malayan, Mister Charley, Mongolian, Negrillo, Negrito, Negro, Oriental, Red Indian, WASP, ace, backset, bail, best bower, black, black man, blackfellow, bore, bower, boy, brown man, bucket, burrhead, burrow, cards, clubs, colored person, coon, cultivate, culture, cup, cut, darky, decant, deck, delve, deuce, diamonds, dig, dig out, dike, dip, dish, dish out, dish up, dredge, dress, drill, drive, dummy, excavate, face cards, fallow, fertilize, flush, force, fork, full house, furrow, gook, gouge, gouge out, groove, grub, hand, harrow, hearts, hoe, honky, jack, jigaboo, joker, jungle bunny, king, knave, ladle, left bower, list, lower, mine, mulch, nigger, niggra, ofay, pack, pair, paleface, picture cards, playing cards, plow, pour, prune, pygmy, quarry, queen, rake, red man, redskin, round, royal flush, rubber, ruff, sap, scoop, scoop out, scrabble, scrape, scratch, shovel, singleton, sink, slant-eye, spades, spoon, straight, the Man, thin, thin out, till, till the soil, trench, trey, trick, trough, trump, tunnel, weed, weed out, white, white man, whitey, work, yellow manROGET THESAURUS
spade
Vehicle
N vehicle, conveyance, carriage, caravan, van, common carrier, wagon, waggon, wain, dray, cart, lorry, truck, tram, cariole, carriole, limber, tumbrel, pontoon, barrow, wheel barrow, hand barrow, perambulator, Bath chair, wheel chair, sedan chair, chaise, palankeen, palanquin, litter, brancard, crate, hurdle, stretcher, ambulance, black Maria, conestoga wagon, conestoga wain, jinrikisha, ricksha, brett, dearborn, dump cart, hack, hackery, jigger, kittereen, mailstate, manomotor, rig, rockaway, prairie schooner, shay, sloven, team, tonga, wheel, hobbyhorse, go-cart, cycle, bicycle, bike, two-wheeler, tricycle, velocipede, quadricycle, equipage, turn-out, coach, chariot, phaeton, break, mail phaeton, wagonette, drag, curricle, tilbury, whisky, landau, barouche, victoria, brougham, clarence, calash, caleche, britzka, araba, kibitka, berlin, sulky, desobligeant, sociable, vis-a-vis, dormeuse, jaunting car, outside car, dandi, doolie, dooly, munchil, palki, roller skates, skate, runabout, ski, tonjon, vettura, post chaise, diligence, stage, stage coach, mail coach, hackney coach, glass coach, stage wagon, car, omnibus, fly, cabriolet, cab, hansom, shofle, four-wheeler, growler, droshki, drosky, dogcart, trap, whitechapel, buggy, four-in-hand, unicorn, random, tandem, shandredhan, char-a-bancs, motor car, automobile, limousine, car, auto, jalopy, clunker, lemon, flivver, coupe, sedan, two-door sedan, four-door sedan, luxury sedan, wheels, sports car, roadster, gran turismo, jeep, four-wheel drive vehicle, electric car, steamer, golf cart, electric wagon, taxicab, cab, taxicoach, checker cab, yellow cab, station wagon, family car, motorcycle, motor bike, side car, van, minivan, bus, minibus, microbus, truck, wagon, pick-up wagon, pick-up, tractor- trailer, road train, articulated vehicle, racing car, racer, hot rod, stock car, souped-up car, bob, bobsled, bobsleigh, cutter, double ripper, double runner, jumper, sled, sledge, sleigh, toboggan, train, accommodation train, passenger train, express trail, special train, corridor train, parliamentary train, luggage train, freight train, goods train, 1st class train, 2nd class train, 3rd class train, 1st class carriage, 2nd class carriage, 3rd class carriage, 1st class compartment, 2nd class compartment, 3rd class compartment, rolling stock, horse box, cattle truck, baggage car, express car, freight car, parlor car, dining car, Pullman car, sleeping car, sleeper, dome car, surface car, tram car, trolley car, box car, box wagon, horse car, bullet train, shinkansen, cannonball, the Wabash cannonball, lightning express, luggage van, mail, mail car, mail van, shovel, spool, spatula, ladle, hod, hoe, spade, spaddle, loy, spud, pitchfork, post hole digger, tractor, steamshovel, backhoe, fork lift, earth mover, dump truck, bulldozer, grader, caterpillar, trench digger, steamroller, pile driver, crane, wrecking crane.For further exploring for "spade" in Webster Dictionary Online
