spar

Meanings

Plural: spars

Noun

any of various nonmetallic minerals (calcite or feldspar) that are light in color and transparent or translucent and cleavable
a stout rounded pole of wood or metal used to support rigging
making the motions of attack and defense with the fists and arms; a part of training for a boxer
A rafter of a roof.
A thick pole or piece of wood.
A bar of wood used to fasten a door.
Any linear object used as a mast, sprit, yard, boom, pole or gaff.
A beam-like structural member that supports ribs in an aircraft wing or other airfoil.
A sparring session; a preliminary fight, as in boxing or cock-fighting.
A friend, a mate, a pal.
Any of various microcrystalline minerals, of light, translucent, or transparent appearance, which are easily cleft.
Any crystal with readily discernible faces.

Verb

furnish with spars
fight with spurs
- "the gamecocks were sparring"
box lightly
fight verbally
- "They were sparring all night"
To bolt, bar.
To supply or equip (a vessel) with spars.
To fight, especially as practice for martial arts or hand-to-hand combat.
To strike with the feet or spurs, as cocks do.
To contest in words; to wrangle.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English sparre (“spar, rafter, beam”) (noun), sparren (“to close, bar”) (verb), from Middle Dutch sparre or Middle Low German Sparre, all ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sparrô (“stake, beam”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)par- (“beam, log”). Compare Dutch spar (“balk”), German Sparren (“rafter, spar”), Danish sparre (“spar”), Albanian shparr, shpardh (“kind of oak”). Perhaps also compare spear.

Synonyms

sparring

Scrabble Score: 6

spar is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
spar is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
spar is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 7

spar is a valid Words With Friends word