From Middle English spare, spar, from Old English spær (“sparing, scant”), from Proto-Germanic *sparaz, from Proto-Indo-European *sph₁rós, from the root *speh₁-.
Compare Dutch spaar(zaam), German spar(sam) and spär(lich), Swedish spar(sam), Icelandic sparr (“sparing”); also Latin (pro)sperus (“lucky”), Old Church Slavonic споръ (sporŭ, “plentiful”), Albanian shperr (“earn money”), Persian سپار (sepâr, “entrust; deposit”), Ancient Greek σπαρνός (sparnós, “rare”), Sanskrit स्फिर (sphirá, “thick”).
Meanings
Extra. ▸ Being more than what is necessary, or what must be used or reserved; not wanted, or not used; superfluous.
I have no spare time.
if that no spare cloths he had to give 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 39:
Extra. ▸ Held in reserve, to be used in an emergency.
a spare anchor; a spare wheel or tyre
Extra. ▸ Not occupied or in current use.
We could rent out the spare room.
Shepard: I take it this is your first time here?
Wrex: Meant to tell you Shepard. Earth reminds me of home. Guess you'll be needing a new planet too. That's okay. Tuchanka's got room to spare and a guard dog named Kalros. 2012, BioWare, Mass Effect 3, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Earth:
As the 1857 to Manchester Piccadilly rolls in, I scan the windows and realise there are plenty of spare seats, so I hop aboard. The train is a '221'+'220' combo to allow for social distancing - a luxury on an XC train as normally you're playing sardines, so I make the most of it. 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 68:
Not plentiful. ▸ Scant; not abundant or plentiful.
a spare diet
Jones’ sad eyes betray a pervasive pain his purposefully spare dialogue only hints at, while the perfectly cast Brolin conveys hints of playfulness and warmth while staying true to the craggy stoicism at the character’s core. 2012 May 24, Nathan Rabin, “Film: Reviews: Men In Black 3”, in The Onion AV Club:
Not plentiful. ▸ Austere, stripped down, without what is extraneous.
I’m naked to the bone,
With nakedness my shield.
Myself is what I wear:
I keep the spirit spare. 1941, Theodore Roethke, “Open House”, in Open House, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →OCLC; republished in The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke, London: Faber and Faber […], 1968, →OCLC, page 3:
Not plentiful. ▸ Sparing; frugal; parsimonious; not spending much money.
Under Hartmut Warkuss, its design director until 2003, Volkswagen styling celebrated its Teutonic origins and the spare modernist tradition expressed in Braun radios and coffee makers, reference points for the neomodern simplicity of the iPod. 2009 April 12, Phil Patton, “At VW, the Italian Accent Gets Stronger”, in New York Times:
He was spare, […]but discreet of speech. 1609, Richard Carew, The Survey of Cornwall, London: […] S[imon] S[tafford] for Iohn Iaggard, […], →OCLC:
Not plentiful. ▸ Lean; lacking flesh; meager; thin; gaunt.
O, give me the spare men, and spare me the great ones. 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
(UK, informal) Very angry; frustrated or distraught.
The poor girl is going spare, stuck in the house all day with the kids like that.
When he found out that someone had broken the window, he went spare.
“That'll drive him spare.” 2006, Tate Hallaway, Tall, Dark & Dead:
My grandfather (unaware that he was using antique terms) would often say ruefully that I would drive him spare. The idea was that my behaviour would so dement him as to drive him berserk. 2013, David Ovason, The Zelator:
ga breise (being over and above what is necessary) · is auka- (being over and above what is necessary) · hu szabad (being over and above what is necessary) · hu tartalék (held in reserve) · de Reserve- (held in reserve) · it scarso (scanty, not abundant or plentiful) · mi kōkau (lean, meager — see also lean) · hu ösztövér (lean, meager — see also lean) · bg излишен (being over and above what is necessary) · fr rechange (held in reserve) · hu megmaradt (being over and above what is necessary) · it frugale (sparing) · cs náhradní (held in reserve) · sv reserv- (held in reserve) · mi tu(w)hene (held in reserve) · hu sovány (lean, meager — see also lean) · nl vrij (not occupied) · uk запасни́й (held in reserve) · bg резервен (held in reserve) · de schlank (lean, meager — see also lean) · es de repuesto (held in reserve) · es de más (not occupied) · ru скудный (scanty, not abundant or plentiful) · fi säästäväinen (sparing) · de spärlich (scanty, not abundant or plentiful) · bg запасен (held in reserve) · hu maradék (being over and above what is necessary) · la subsicīvus (being over and above what is necessary) · fa یدک (held in reserve) · it superfluo (being over and above what is necessary) · hu szűkös (scanty, not abundant or plentiful) · nl reserve- (held in reserve) · gd a bharrachd (being over and above what is necessary) · fi niukka (scanty, not abundant or plentiful) · hu takarékos (sparing) · bg оскъден (scanty, not abundant or plentiful) · fi ylimääräinen (being over and above what is necessary) · ru скупой (sparing) · hu gyér (scanty, not abundant or plentiful) · fi laiha (lean, meager — see also lean) · ru запасно́й (held in reserve) · ota یدك (held in reserve) · cy sbâr (being over and above what is necessary) · it smilzo (lean, meager — see also lean) · de überflüssig (being over and above what is necessary) · ru ли́шний (being over and above what is necessary) · is auður (not occupied) · is laus (not occupied) · es de recambio / refacción / retén (held in reserve) · sv extra (not occupied) · fa یدکی (held in reserve) · it di scorta (held in reserve) · hy պահեստային (held in reserve) · hu cingár (lean, meager — see also lean) · nl extra (not occupied) · sv ledig (not occupied) · cs nadbytečný (being over and above what is necessary) · it magro (lean, meager — see also lean) · it parsimonioso (sparing) · it di ricambio (held in reserve) · bg пестелив (sparing) · de dürftig (scanty, not abundant or plentiful) · ga breise (held in reserve) · ga folamh (not occupied) · hu pót- (held in reserve) · it ulteriore (being over and above what is necessary) · gd a bharrachd (held in reserve) · de unbenutzt (not occupied) · fa اضافه (being over and above what is necessary) · fa زاپاس (held in reserve) · hu plusz (being over and above what is necessary) · de sparsam (sparing) · es de reserva (held in reserve) · de frei (not occupied) · it di riserva (held in reserve) · nl extra (being over and above what is necessary) · bg мършав (lean, meager — see also lean) · sv extra- (being over and above what is necessary) · hu fennmaradó (being over and above what is necessary) · fi vara- (held in reserve) · gv thanney (lean, meager — see also lean) · es de sobra (not occupied) · is vara- (held in reserve) · hu visszafogott (scanty, not abundant or plentiful) · de überschüssig (being over and above what is necessary) · ru уме́ренный (scanty, not abundant or plentiful)
spare en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
spâr (Received-Pronunciation)
/speə/ (New-Zealand) without the cheer–chair merger
From Middle English spare, spar, from Old English spær (“sparing, scant”), from Proto-Germanic *sparaz, from Proto-Indo-European *sph₁rós, from the root *speh₁-.
Compare Dutch spaar(zaam), German spar(sam) and spär(lich), Swedish spar(sam), Icelandic sparr (“sparing”); also Latin (pro)sperus (“lucky”), Old Church Slavonic споръ (sporŭ, “plentiful”), Albanian shperr (“earn money”), Persian سپار (sepâr, “entrust; deposit”), Ancient Greek σπαρνός (sparnós, “rare”), Sanskrit स्फिर (sphirá, “thick”).
Meanings
The act of sparing; moderation; restraint.
men slaine, then without any spare at all they trampled over the dead carkasses 1659, T[itus] Livius [i.e., Livy], “(please specify the book number)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Romane Historie […], London: […] W. Hunt, for George Sawbridge, […], →OCLC:
Parsimony; frugal use.
Pourd out their plenty, without spight or spare: 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 51:
An opening in a petticoat or gown; a placket.
That which has not been used or expended.
(especially) A spare part. ▸ A spare tire.
I stopped to help out. Do you have a spare? [Said by one motorist to another with a flat tire.]
A spare part. ▸ Any car part or comparable machine part in a supply chain.
People sometimes forget that world-class logistics also involve inventory management in warehouses full of spares.
A superfluous or second-best person.
an heir and a spare
The whole Heir versus Spare thing? Wasn't it a bit late for that tired childhood dynamic? 2023, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex; J. R. Moehringer, Spare, Penguin Random House, →ISBN:
The right of bowling again at a full set of pins, after having knocked all the pins down in less than three bowls. If all the pins are knocked down in one bowl it is a double spare; in two bowls, a single spare.
The act of knocking down all remaining pins in second ball of a frame; this entitles the pins knocked down on the next ball to be added to the score for that frame.
(Canada) A free period; a block of school during which one does not have a class.
I also remember watching David Letterman's short-lived morning show on TV when I had a spare during my school schedule. 2010, Sandra Rinomato, Realty Check: Real Estate Secrets for First-Time Canadian Home Buyers:
(Myanmar) assistant or extra hand (typically on buses and lorries)
From Middle English sparen, sparien, from Old English sparian (“to spare, show mercy to, refrain from injuring or destroying”), from Proto-Germanic *sparōną, *sparāną (“to save, keep, spare”), from Proto-Indo-European *sper- (“to be productive, earn”).
Cognate with Scots spar, spare, spair (“to spare”), West Frisian sparje (“to save, spare”), Dutch sparen (“to save, spare”), German sparen (“to save, conserve, economise”), Swedish spara (“to save, save up”), Icelandic spara (“to save, conserve”).
Meanings
(intransitive) To show mercy, to have mercy on. ▸ To desist; to stop; to refrain.
(intransitive) To show mercy, to have mercy on. ▸ To refrain from inflicting harm; to use mercy or forbearance.
(transitive) To show mercy, to have mercy on. ▸ To preserve (someone) from danger or punishment; to forbear to punish, injure, or harm (someone); to show mercy towards.
For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 6:34:
Cologne Hauptbahnhof is reached in the small hours, and the traveller new to postwar Germany is spared the sight of the devastated city. 1949 September and October, “The "Nord Express"”, in Railway Magazine, page 336:
(specifically, transitive) To show mercy, to have mercy on. ▸ To preserve (someone) from danger or punishment; to forbear to punish, injure, or harm (someone); to show mercy towards. ▸ To refrain from killing (someone) or having (someone) killed.
Kill me, if you please, or spare me. 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
Reggie Clemons has one last chance to save his life. After 19 years on death row in Missouri for the murder of two young women, he has been granted a final opportunity to persuade a judge that he should be spared execution by lethal injection. 2012 August 21, Ed Pilkington, “Death penalty on trial: should Reggie Clemons live or die?”, in The Guardian:
In April of 2009, however, the disease was found to suddenly no longer be appearing in newly-hatched chickens, and, upon review, it was discovered that Dr. Wildcat had modified 6002 without authorization, removing the disease from the genome. She's detained and questioned by Muller, and, even though she tries to lie that she didn't do anything, they have footage of her ascending the tree on her own. Muller tells her that she can't just take it upon herself to decide what's best, as who knows what would've happened if she had made a mistake. She proceeds to cuss him out, and he gives her a choice, telling her that if she apologizes now, he'll put in a good word for her with the O5 Council, which might spare her. She's silent for a moment, but does end up apologizing. 2021 August 16, “Exploring the SCP Foundation: SCP-6002 - All Creatures Great and Small” (19:06 from the start), in The Exploring Series, archived from the original on 10 Jan 2023:
(intransitive) To keep. ▸ To be frugal; to not be profuse; to live frugally; to be parsimonious.
I, who at some times spend, at others spare, / Divided between carelessness and care. 1737, Alexander Pope, The Second Epistle of the Second Book of Horace, Imitated by Mr. Pope:
(transitive) To keep. ▸ To keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give.
Thou that day / Thy Father's dreadful thunder didst not spare 1667, John Milton, “Book III”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
He that hath knowledge, spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 17:27:
(transitive) To keep. ▸ To save or gain, as by frugality; to reserve, as from some occupation, use, or duty.
All the time he could spare from the necessary cares of his weighty charge, from assaults, and the naturall refreshing of his body, be bestowed in praier and seruing of God 1610, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, from the First Beginning of that Nation, page 580:
(transitive) (to give up): To deprive oneself of, as by being frugal; to do without; to dispense with; to give up; to part with.
At Southall, we believe, it has been difficult to spare men from an understaffed motive power establishment to undergo non revenue-earning training on the diesel multiple-units, because crews are scarce for trip freight working. 1960 April, “Talking of Trains: The present difficulties”, in Trains Illustrated, page 193:
Where angry Jove did never spare / One breath of kind and temperate air. a. 1779, Earl of Roscommon, “The Twenty-second Ode of the First Book of Horace”
Poor Jack, farewell! / I could have better spared a better man c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iv]:
Not unnaturally, “Auntie” took this communication in bad part.[…]Next day she[…]tried to recover her ward by the hair of the head. Then, thwarted, the wretched creature went to the police for help; she was versed in the law, and perhaps had spared no pains to keep on good terms with the local constabulary. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XLIV, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 361:
da skåne (to show mercy) · hu spórol (to be frugal) · hu megspórol (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · pl oszczędzać (to show mercy) · ru поми́ловать (to show mercy) · ru пощади́ть (to show mercy) · got 𐍆𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (to show mercy) · es apiadar (se de) (to show mercy) · es ahorrarse (to keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give) · is þyrma (to show mercy) · it risparmiare (to show mercy) · tr bağışlamak (to show mercy) · es estar de más (to keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give) · bg пестя (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · wa spårgnî (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · bg щадя (to show mercy) · es perdonar (to show mercy) · hy խնայել (to be frugal) · es sobrar (to keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give) · es evitarle (to keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give) · es holgar (to keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give) · ru ми́ловать (to show mercy) · de sparen (to show mercy) · bg икономисвам (to be frugal) · pl żałować (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · non þyrma (to show mercy) · es ser misericorde con (to show mercy) · nl sparen (to be frugal) · it risparmiare (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · pl oszczędzić (to show mercy) · sv skona (to show mercy) · es no adolorar (to show mercy) · es no venirle con (to keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give) · pl oszczędzać (to be frugal) · nl sparen (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · fr épargner (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · mi matatoua (to be frugal) · sa मृडति (to show mercy) · hu kímél (to show mercy) · pl szczędzić (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · es dejar a salvo (to show mercy) · hu félretesz (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · pl oszczędzić (to be frugal) · hu megtakarít (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · ar رَحِمَ (to show mercy) · ru щади́ть (to show mercy) · hu megkímél (to show mercy) · uk шкодува́ти (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · hy խնայել (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · la parcō (to show mercy) · qu waqaychay (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · es mostrar misericordia a (to show mercy) · nl sparen (to show mercy) · de sparen (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · de sparen (to be frugal) · grc φείδομαι (to show mercy) · es ahorrar (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · ru жале́ть (to reserve from occupation, use or duty) · bg пощадявам (to show mercy) · hy խնայել (to show mercy) · hu takarékoskodik (to be frugal) · la impercō (to show mercy) · la parcō (to be frugal)