spancel

S1P3A1N1C3E1L1
/ˈspænsl̩/

noun

a rope or fetter used to hobble a horse or other animal

OriginLow German spansel →
Scrabble 11
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Meanings

nounspancel (plural spancels)

plural spancels

  1. a rope or fetter used to hobble a horse or other animal
verbspancel (third-person singular simple present spancels, present participle (US) spanceling or (UK) spancelling, simple past and past participle (US) spanceled or (UK) spancelled)

present singular third person spancels · US participle present spanceling · UK participle present spancelling · US participle past spanceled · US past spanceled · UK participle past spancelled · UK past spancelled

  1. transitiveto hobble with a spancel

Origin

  1. Low Germanspansel
  2. Englishspancel

From Dutch or Low German spansel, from spannen (“to bind, harness”).

More words from Low German

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Irish buarach
  • buarachrope or fetter used to hobble an animal

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

scalpneenclasp
Cite this entry
APA

spancel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spancel

MLA

“spancel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spancel. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spancel,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spancel.

Source: spancel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.