Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SPOUS'AGE, n. [See Spouse.]

The act of espousing. [Not used.]

SPOUS'AL, a. [from spouse.]

Pertaining to marriage; nuptial; matrimonial; conjugal; connubial; bridal; as, spousal rites; spousal ornaments. – Pope.

SPOUS'AL, n. [Fr. epousailles; Sp. esponsales; L. sponsalia. See Spouse.]

Marriage; nuptials. It is now generally used in the plural; as, the spousals of Hippolita. – Dryden.

SPOUSE, n. [spouz; Fr. epouse; Sp. esposo, esposa; It. sposo, sposa; L. sponsus, sponsa, from spondeo, to engage; Ir. posam, id. It appears that n in spondeo, is not radical, or that it has been lost in other languages. The sense of the root is to put together, to bind. In Sp. esposas signifies manacles.]

One engaged or joined in wedlock; a married person, husband or wife. We say of a man, that he is the spouse of such a woman; or of a woman, she is the spouse of such a man. – Dryden.

SPOUSE, v.t. [spouz.]

To wed; to espouse. [Little used. See Espouse.] – Chaucer.

SPOUS'ED, pp.

Wedded; joined in marriage; married; but seldom used. The word used in lieu of it is espoused. – Milton.

SPOUSE-LESS, a. [spouz'less.]

Destitute of a husband or of a wife; as, a spouseless king or queen. – Pope.

SPOUT, n. [D. spuit, a spout, spuiten, to spout. In G. spützen is to spit, and spotten is to mock, banter, sport. These are of one family; spout retaining nearly the primary and literal meaning. Class Bd. See Bud and Pout.]

1. A pipe, or a projecting mouth of a vessel, useful in directing the stream of a liquid poured out; as, the spout of a pitcher, of a tea pot or water pot.
2. A pipe conducting water from another pipe, or from a trough on a house.
3. A violent discharge of water raised in a column at sea, like a whirlwind, or by a whirlwind. [See Water-spout.]

SPOUT, v.i.

To issue with violence, as a liquid through a narrow orifice, or from a spout; as, water spouts from a cask or a spring; blood spouts from a vein. All the glittering hill / Is bright with spouting rills. – Thomson.

SPOUT, v.t.

1. To throw out, as liquids through a narrow orifice or pipe; as, an elephant spouts water from his trunk. Next on his belly floats the mighty whale … / He spouts the tide. – Creech.
2. To throw out words with affected gravity; to mouth. – Beaum.

SPOUT'ED, pp.

Thrown in a stream from a pipe or narrow orifice.

SPOUT'ING, n.

The act of throwing out, as a liquid from a narrow opening; a violent or affected speech; a harangue.

SPOUT'ING, ppr.

Throwing in a stream from a pipe or narrow opening; pouring out words violently or affectedly.

SPRAG, a.

Vigorous; sprightly. [Local.] Note. In America, this word is, in popular language, pronounced spry, which is a contraction of sprigh, in sprightly.

SPRAG, n.

A young salmon. [Local.] – Grose.

SPRAIN, n.

The weakening of the motive power of a part by sudden and excessive exertion; an excessive strain of the muscles or ligaments of a joint, without dislocation. – Temple.

SPRAIN, v.t. [probably Sw. språnga; to break or loosen; Dan. sprenger, to spring, to burst or crack; or from the same root.]

To weaken the motive power of a part by sudden and excessive exertion; to overstrain the muscles or ligaments of a joint; to stretch the muscles or ligaments so as to injure them, but without luxation or dislocation. – Gay. Encyc.

SPRAIN-ED, pp.

Injured by excessive straining.

SPRAIN-ING, ppr.

Injuring by excessive extension.

SPRAINTS, n.

The dung of an otter. – Dict.

SPRANG, v. pret.

of Spring; but sprung is more generally used.

SPRAT, n. [D. sprot; G. sprotte; Ir. sproth.]

A small fish, the Clupea Sprattus.

SPRAWL, v.i. [The origin and affinities of this word are uncertain. It may be a contracted word.]

1. To spread and stretch the body carelessly in a horizon position; to lie with the limbs stretched out or struggling. We say, a person lies sprawling; or he sprawls on the bed or on the ground. – Hudibras.
2. To move, when lying down, with awkward extension and motions of the limbs; to scrabble or scramble in creeping. The birds were not fledged, but in sprawling and struggling to get clear of the flame, down they tumbled. – L'Estrange.
3. To widen or open irregularly, as a body of horse.

SPRAWL'ING, ppr.

1. Lying with the limbs awkwardly stretched; creeping with awkward motions; struggling with contortion of the limbs.
2. Widening or opening irregularly, as cavalry.

SPRAY, n. [probably allied to sprig. The radical sense is a shoot. Class Rg.]

1. A small shoot or branch; or the extremity of a branch. Hence, in England, spray-faggots are bundles of small branches, used as fuel. – Encyc.
2. Among seamen, the water that is driven from the top of a wave in a storm, which spreads and flies in small particles. It differs from spoon-drift; as spray is only occasion whereas spoon-drift flies continually along the surface the sea.