Spread eagle. (a) An eagle with outspread wings, the national emblem of the United States. (b) The figure of an eagle, with its wings elevated and its legs extended; often met as a device upon military ornaments, and the like. (c) (Her.) An eagle displayed; an eagle with the wings and legs extended on each side of the body, as in the double-headed eagle of Austria and Russia. See Displayed, 2.

Spread-eagle
(Spread"-ea`gle) a. Characterized by a pretentious, boastful, exaggerated style; defiantly or extravagantly bombastic; as, a spread-eagle orator; a spread-eagle speech. [Colloq.& Humorous]

Spreader
(Spread"er) n.

1. One who, or that which, spreads, expands, or propogates.

2. A machine for combining and drawing fibers of flax to form a sliver preparatory to spinning.

Spreadingly
(Spread"ing*ly), adv. Increasingly.

The best times were spreadingly infected.
Milton.

Sprechery
(Sprech"er*y) n. [Cf. Gael. spreidh cattle.] Movables of an inferior description; especially, such as have been collected by depredation. [Scot.]

Spree
(Spree) n. [Cf. Ir. spre a spark, animation, spirit, Gael. spraic. Cf. Sprack.] A merry frolic; especially, a drinking frolic; a carousal. [Colloq.]

Sprenge
(Sprenge) v. t. [OE. sprengen, p. p. sprent, spreint, from AS. sprengen to sprinkle. See Sprinkle.] To sprinkle; to scatter. [Obs.] Wyclif

Sprengel pump
(Spreng"el pump`) (Physics) A form of air pump in which exhaustion is produced by a stream of mercury running down a narrow tube, in the manner of an aspirator; — named from the inventor.

Sprent
(Sprent) obs. p. p. of Sprenge. Sprinkled.

All the ground with purple blood was sprent.
Spenser.

Sprew
(Sprew) n. [Cf. D. sprouw, spruw.] (Med.) Thrush. [Local, U.S.]

Spreynd
(Spreynd) obs. p. p. of Sprenge. Sprinkled.

When spreynd was holy water.
Chaucer.

Sprig
(Sprig) n. [AS. sprec; akin to Icel. sprek a stick. Cf. Spray a branch.]

1. A small shoot or twig of a tree or other plant; a spray; as, a sprig of laurel or of parsley.

2. A youth; a lad; — used humorously or in slight disparagement.

A sprig whom I remember, with a whey-face and a satchel, not so many years ago.
Sir W. Scott.

4. A table, as spread or furnished with a meal; hence, an entertainment of food; a feast. [Colloq.]

5. A privilege which one person buys of another, of demanding certain shares of stock at a certain price, or of delivering the same shares of stock at another price, within a time agreed upon. [Broker's Cant]

6. (Geom.) An unlimited expanse of discontinuous points.

Spread
(Spread), imp. & p. p. of Spread, v.


  By PanEris using Melati.

Previous chapter/page Back Home Email this Search Discuss Bookmark Next chapter/page
Copyright: All texts on Bibliomania are © Bibliomania.com Ltd, and may not be reproduced in any form without our written permission.
See our FAQ for more details.