Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SPRUNT, a.

Active; vigorous; strong; becoming strong. [Not in use.]

SPRUNT, n.

1. Any thing short and not easily bent. [Not in use.]
2. A leap; a spring. [Not in use.]
3. A steep ascent in a road. [Local.]

SPRUNT, v.i.

To spring up; to germinate; to spring forward. [Not in use.]

SPRUNT'LY, adv.

Vigorously; youthfully; like a young man. [Not in use.] – B. Jonson.

SPRY, a.

Having great power of leaping or running; nimble; active; vigorous. [This word is in common use in New England, and is doubtless a contraction of sprig. See; Sprightly.]

SPUD, n. [Dan. spyd, a spear; Ice. spioot. It coincides with spit.]

1. A short knife. [Little used.]
2. Any short thing; in contempt.
3. A tool of the fork kind, used by farmers.

SPUD, v.t.

To dig or loosen the earth with a spud. [Local.]

SPUL'LER, n.

One employed to inspect yarn, to see that it is well spun, and fit for the loom. [Local.]

SPUME, n. [L. and It. spuma; Sp. espuma.]

Froth; foam; scum; frothy matter raised on liquors or fluid substances by boiling, effervescence or agitation.

SPUME, v.i.

To froth; to foam.

SPU-MES'CENCE, n.

Frothiness; the state of foaming. – Kirwan.

SPU-MIF'ER-OUS, a.

Producing foam.

SPUM-OUS, or SPUM-Y, a. [L. spumeus.]

Consisting of froth or scum; foamy. The spumy waves proclaim the wat'ry war. – Dryden. The spumous and florid state of the blood. – Arbuthnot.

SPUN, v. [pret. and pp. of Spin.]

SPUNGE, n. [L. spongia; Gr. σπογγια; Fr. eponge; It. spugna; Sp. esponja; Sax. spongea; D. spons.]

1. A porous marine substance, found adhering to rocks, shells, &c., under water, and on rocks about the shore at low water. It is generally supposed to be of animal origin, and it consists of a fibrous reticulated substance, covered by a soft gelatinous matter, but in which no polypes have hitherto been observed. It is so porous as to imbibe a great quantity of water, and is used for various purposes in the arts and in surgery. – Encyc. Cuvier.
2. In gunnery, an instrument for cleaning cannon after a discharge. It consists of a cylinder of wood, covered with lamb akin. For small guns, it is commonly fixed to one end of the handle of the rammer.
3. In the manege, the extremity or point of a horse-shoe, answering to the heel. Pyrotechnical spunge, is made of mushrooms or fungi, growing on old oaks, ash, fir, &c., which are boiled in water, dried and beaten, then put in a strong lye prepared with saltpeter, and again dried in an oven. This makes the black match or tinder brought from Germany. – Encyc.

SPUNGE, v.i.

1. To suck in or imbibe, as a spunge.
2. To gain by mean arts, by intrusion or hanging on; as, an idler who spunges on his neighbor.

SPUNGE, v.t.

1. To wipe with a wet spunge; as, to spunge a slate.
2. To wipe out with a spunge, as letters or writing.
3. To cleanse with a spunge; as, to spunge a cannon.
4. To wipe out completely; to extinguish or destroy.

SPUNG'ED, pp.

Wiped with a spunge; wiped out; extinguished.

SPUNG'ER, n.

One who uses a spunge; a hanger on.

SPUNG'I-FORM, a. [spunge and form.]

Resembling a spunge; soft and porous; porous.

SPUNG'I-NESS, n.

The quality or state of being spungy or porous like spunge. – Harvey.

SPUNG'ING, ppr.

1. Wiping with a wet spunge; cleansing with a spunge.
2. Gaining by mean arts, by intrusion or hanging on.

SPUNG'ING-HOUSE, n.

A bailif's house to put debtors in.

SPUNG'I-OUS, a.

Full of small cavities, like a spunge; as spungious bones. – Cheyne.

SPUNG'Y, a.

1. Soft and full of cavities; of an open, loose pliable texture; as, a spungy excrescence; spungy earth; spungy cake; the spungy substance of the lungs.
2. Full of small cavities; as, spungy bones.
3. Wet; drenched; soaked and soft, like spunge.
4. Having the quality of imbibing fluids.