Spear Meaning
/spɪə̯(ɹ)/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA long stick with a sharp tip used as a weapon for throwing or thrusting, or anything used to make a thrusting motion.
nounA soldier armed with such a weapon; a spearman.
Sentence Examples
He hurled a spear at his enemy.
The tip of the spear was dipped in a deadly poison.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The hunter threw a ____ at the deer, but unfortunately missed its target.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In ancient times, hunters used a long wooden ____ with a stone tip to catch fish in the river.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English spere, sperre, spear, from Old English spere, from Proto-West Germanic *speru, from Proto-Germanic *speru, from Proto-Indo-European *sperH-. Cognates See also West Frisian spear, Dutch speer, German Speer, Old Norse spjǫr, *sparrô, Middle Dutch sparre (“rafter”), Old Norse sparri (“spar, rafter”), sperra (“rafter, beam”); also Latin sparus (“short spear”), Albanian ferrë (“thorn, thornbush”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"It's not like you killed someone
It's not like you drove a spiteful spear into his side
Talk to Jesus Christ as if he knows the reasons why
He did it all for you"
— 2000, “Judith”, performed by A Perfect Circle:
"Now toil'd the Bruce, the battle done ,
To use his conquest boldly won;
And gave command for horse and spear
To press the Southron's scatter'd rear"
— 1815, Walter Scott, “(please specify the page)”, in The Lord of the Isles, a Poem, Edinburgh: […] [F]or Archibald Constable and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; by James Ballantyne and Co., […], →OCLC:
"Two of the four spears came directly from Lady Margaret's staff. One was her great-nephew Maurice St John […]."
— 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 187:
"By the 1970s, herders were spearing rhinos and poisoning lions to protest the loss of their land to conservation, then represented by the independent Kenyan government."
— 2012, Robin Reid, Savannas of Our Birth:
"Former teammate Derek Sanderson recalls that Maki hit Ted from behind as Green was clearing the puck from the Boston zone. Green turned to knock Maki down, but Maki speared him as he rose from the ice."
— 2003, Stan Fischler, Shirley Fischler, Who's who in Hockey:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The hunter threw a ____ at the deer, but unfortunately missed its target.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In ancient times, hunters used a long wooden ____ with a stone tip to catch fish in the river.