Etymologically
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spare

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /spɛə(ɹ)/, /spɛɚ/[1]

Etymology

The verb is Middle English sparen, inherited from Old English sparian (“to refrain from harming, allow to go free”),[2][3][4] cognate with Old Frisian sparia, Old High German sparōn and Old Norse spara,[2][4] all from the source of Old English spær (“sparing, frugal”), Proto-Germanic *sparaz.[2][5] The adjective, from the 14th century, comes from the verb or from Old English spær.[5][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

To refrain from harming or injuring, to let go free: Old English, before 830.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

To give up from one's stock what is not needed, as in can you spare a pound, is from about 1200.[5] The adjective, kept in reserve or not in regular use, is from the late 14th century, of time from the mid-15th century, and lean or thin from the 1540s.[5] The noun, an extra thing kept in reserve, is from the 1640s, and the spare part from 1826.[5] The spare tyre is by 1894 of bicycles, 1903 of cars and 1961 of a roll of fat at the waist.[5] In tenpin bowling a spare, knocking down all the pins with two balls, is American from 1843.[5][6] The Middle English noun meant mercy or leniency.[5][7] Word Origins notes that the spare of spare ribs is a different word, probably from Low German ribbesper, with its parts reversed.[8]

Timeline

  • before 830 – to refrain from harming.[2]
  • c. 1200 – to give up what is not needed.[5]
  • late 14th century – the adjective, kept in reserve.[5]
  • 1540s – lean, meagre.[5]
  • 1640s – a spare thing.[5]
  • 1843 – in bowling.[5][6]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To refrain from harming, punishing or killing; to treat with mercy.
  2. To save someone from experiencing something: spare me the details.
  3. To afford or give up: can't spare the time.
  4. To use sparingly or hold back: spare no expense.

Adjective

  1. Kept in reserve; extra: a spare key.
  2. Free for other use: spare time.
  3. Lean or thin; also, plain or austere.

Noun

  1. A spare part, especially a spare tyre.
  2. (bowling) The knocking down of all the pins with two balls.

Word family

  • sparely
  • spareness
  • sparer
  • spareable
  • unspared
  • spare tire
  • sparing
  • sparse
  • sparerib

Usage notes

A separate, obsolete word spare, a slit or opening in a gown, survived in Scots.[7][6][9]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)