Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SPUN'-HAY, n.

Hay twisted into ropes for convenient carriage on a military expedition.

SPUNK, n. [probably from punk.]

1. Touchwood; wood that readily takes fire. Hence,
2. Vulgarly, an inflammable temper; spirit; as, a man of spunk. Ill natured observations touched his spunk. [Low.]

SPUN'-YARN, n.

Among seamen, a line or cord formed of two or three rope yarns twisted.

SPUR, n. [Sax. spur; D. spoor; G. sporn; Dan. spore; Ir. spor; W. yspardun; Fr. eperon; It. sprone; coinciding in elements with spear. Class Br.]

1. An instrument having a rowel or little wheel with sharp points, worn on horsemen's heels, to prick the horses for hastening their pace. Girt with rusty sword and spur. – Hudibras. Hence, to set spurs to a horse, is to prick him and put him upon a run.
2. Incitement; instigation. The love of glory is the spur to heroic deeds.
3. The largest or principal root of a tree; hence perhaps, the short wooden buttress of a post; [that is, in both cases, a shoot.]
4. The hard pointed projection on a cock's leg, which server as an instrument of defense and annoyance. – Ray.
5. Something that projects; a snag. – Shak.
6. In America, a mountain that shoots from any other mountain or range of mountains, and extends to some distance in a lateral direction, or at right angles.
7. That which excites. We say, upon the spur of the occasion; that is, the circumstances or emergency which calls for immediate action.
8. A sea swallow. – Ray.
9. The hinder part of the nectary in certain flowers, shaped like a cock's spur. – Martyn.
10. A fungus [Spermœdia Clavus,] growing within the glumes of rye, wheat, couch-grass, herd's-grass, lie. [Fr. ergot.]
11. In old fortifications, a wall that crosses a part of the rampart and joins to the town wall.

SPUR, v.i.

1. To travel with great expedition. The Parthians shall be there, / And spurring from the fight, confess their fear. [Unusual.] – Dryden.
2. To press forward. Some bold men … by spurring on, refine themselves. – Grew.

SPUR, v.t. [Ir. sporam.]

1. To prick with spurs; to incite to a more hasty pace; as to spur a horse.
2. To incite; to instigate; to urge or encourage to action, or to promote vigorous pursuit of an object. Some men are spurred to action by the love of glory, others by the love is power. Let affection spur us to social and domestic duties. – Locke.
3. To impel; to drive. Love wilt not be spurr'd to what it lothes. – Shak.
4. To put spurs on. Spurs of the beams, in a ship, are curving timbers, serving as half beams to support the deck, where whole beams can not be used.

SPUR'CLAD, a.

Wearing spurs.

SPUR'GALL, n.

A place galled or excoriated by much using of the spur.

SPUR'GALL, v.t. [spur and gall.]

To gall or wound with a spur. Shak.

SPUR'GALL-ED, pp.

Galled or hurt by a spur as, a spurgalled hackney.

SPURGE, n. [Fr. epurge; It. spurgo, a purge; from L. purgo, expurgo.]

A plant of the genus Euphorbia. This name is applied to various species of Euphorbia, and by some, to the whole genus, which is very numerous.

SPURGE'-FLAX, n.

A plant, Daphne Gnidium; a native of Spain.

SPURGE'-LAU-REL, n.

The Daphne laureola, a shrub, a native of Europe.

SPURGE'-OL-IVE, n.

A shrub, the Daphne Oleoïdes.

SPURGE'-WORT, n.

A plant.

SPURG'ING, v. [for Purging, not in use.]

– B. Jonson.

SPU'RI-OUS, a. [L. spurius.]

1. Not genuine; not proceeding from the true source, or from the source pretended; counterfeit; false; adulterate. Spurious writings are such as are not composed by the authors to whom they are ascribed. Spurious drugs are common. The reformed churches reject spurious ceremonies and conditions.
2. Not legitimate; bastard; as, spurious issue. By the laws of England, one begotten and born out of lawful matrimony, is a spurious child. Spurious disease, a disease commonly mistaken for, and called by the name of something which it is not; as spurious pleurisy, i. e. rheumatism of the intercostal muscles.

SPU'RI-OUS-LY, adv.

Counterfeitly; falsely.

SPU'RI-OUS-NESS, n.

1. The state or quality of being counterfeit, false or not genuine; as, the spuriousness of drugs, of coin or of writings.
2. Illegitimacy; the state of being bastard, or not of legitimate birth; as, the spuriousness of issue.

SPUR'LING, n.

A small sea fish.

SPUR'LING-LINE, n.

Among seamen, the line which forms the communication between the wheel and the tell-tale.

SPURN, n.

Disdainful rejection; contemptuous treatment. The insolence of office, and the spurns / That patient merit of the unworthy takes. – Shak.

SPURN, v.i.

1. To manifest disdain in rejecting any thing; as, to spurn at the gracious offers of pardon.
2. To make contemptuous opposition; to manifest disdain in resistance. Nay more, to spurn at your most royal image. – Shak.
3. To kick or toss up the heels. The drunken chairman in the kennel spurns. – Gay.

SPURN, v.t. [Sax. spurnan; Ir. sporam; L. sperno, aspernor; from the root of spur, or from kicking.]

1. To kick; to drive back or away, as with the foot. – Shak.
2. To reject with disdain; to scorn to receive or accept. What multitudes of rational beings spurn the offers of eternal happiness!
3. To treat with contempt. – Locke.

SPURN'ED, pp.

Rejected with disdain; treated with contempt.