span

span · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)pend-
2. Proto-Germanic*spannō
3. Old Englishspann
4. Middle Englishspanne
5. English todayspan

From Middle English spanne, from Old English spann, from Proto-Germanic *spannō (“span, handbreadth”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- (“to stretch”). Cognate with Dutch span, spanne, German Spanne. The sense “pair of horses” is probably from Old English ġespan, ġespann (“a joining; a fastening together; clasp; yoke”), from Proto-West Germanic [Term?]. Cognate with Dutch gespan, German Gespann.

span · verb²

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*spannaną“to stretch, span”
2. Old English · inherited fromspannan
3. Middle English · inherited fromspannen
4. English todayspan

From Middle English spannen, from Old English spannan, from Proto-Germanic *spannaną (“to stretch, span”). Cognate with German spannen, Dutch spannen.

span · verb³

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*spinnaną“to spin”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*spann
3. Old English · inherited fromspann
4. Middle English · inherited fromspan
5. English todayspan

From Middle English span, from Old English spann, from Proto-Germanic *spann, first and third person singular preterit indicative of Proto-Germanic *spinnaną (“to spin”).

Span · proper noun⁴

* As a Slovene surname, from župan (“head of a district”), from župa (“district”); compare Zupan. * As a German surname, variant of Spahn; also Spann. * As a Jewish surname from Span (“chip”) (probably through Yiddish).

Words from the same roots