outspread en · ADJ
Etymology
From Middle English outspreden, equivalent to out- + spread. Cognate with Dutch uitspreiden (“to outspread, stretch, unfold”), Danish udsprede (“to outspread”), Swedish utspridda (“to outspread”).
Meanings
-
Extended outward, as one's arms; stretched out.
She longed to fall into his outspread arms once again.
Brutes […] / Ruminate heedleſs of the ſcene outſpread / Beneath, beyond, and ſtretching far away / From inland regions to the diſtant main.
1785, William Cowper, “Book V. The Winter Morning Walk.”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson; […], →OCLC, page 221:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most outspread | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more outspread | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |