Etymologically
Log in

spree

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 11 October 2026 at 05:02. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /spɹiː/[1]

Etymology

Its origin is uncertain.[2][3][4] Barnhart suggests an alteration of French esprit “lively wit”,[5][2] while the American Heritage Dictionary suggests an alteration of Scots spreath “cattle raid”,[6][2] from Scottish Gaelic spréidh (“cattle, wealth”),[6][2] from Middle Irish preid (“booty”),[6][2] ultimately from Latin praeda (“plunder”).[6][2] It would then be related to prey.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A lively or boisterous frolic (1804), first in Scots dialect.[6][5][2][7]

Semantic evolution

By 1811 the word meant a drinking bout,[6][7] and the phrase on the spree is from 1847.[7] The sense of an unrestrained indulgence in some activity, as in a spending spree, is recorded from 1849.[6] Scots and Irish dialects also have a sense “a fight”, which may link the word to the cattle raid.[6]

Timeline

  • 1804 – a lively outing or frolic.[6][5][2][3][7]
  • 1811 – a drinking bout.[6][7]
  • 1825 – verb, to take part in a spree.[7]
  • 1849 – an overindulgence in an activity.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A carefree, lively outing; a frolic.
  2. A bout of drinking; a binge.
  3. An unrestrained burst of some activity, as in a spending spree.

Verb

  1. To take part in a spree.
  • prey
  • esprit
  • binge

Usage notes

Wiktionary notes that the noun is often preceded by the name of an activity, as in shopping spree.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press