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   Spare

   /sper/

   

   adjective

   • 1. additional to what is required for ordinary use: "few people had spare cash for inessentials" Similar extrasupplementaryadditionalsecondanotheralternativeemergencyreservebackuprelieffallbacksubstitutefreshauxiliaryancillaryalternatesurplussurplus to requirementssuperfluoustoo much/manysupernumeraryexcessivein excessgoing beggingredundantnot requiredunnecessaryinessentialunessentialneedlessunneededuncalled fordispensabledisposableexpendableunwanteduselessde tropOpposite principalusefulrequired
   • ▪ not currently in use or occupied: "the spare bedroom"
   • 2. with no excess fat; thin: "a spare, bearded figure" Similar slenderleanwillowysylphlikesveltelissomgracefulsnake-hippedrangyclean-limbedtrimslightslightly builtwithout an ounce of fatthinas thin as a reedskinnysize-zerogauntattenuatedlankyspindlyinformal:skin and bonerare:gracileattenuateOpposite fat
   • 3. elegantly simple: "her clothes are smart and spare in style"
   • ▪ meager; nearly inadequate: "the furnishings were spare and unadorned"

   noun

   • 1. an item kept in case another item of the same type is lost, broken, or worn out: "with three to choose from, your child will never be without a spare"
   • ▪ a spare tire: "make sure there are no problems with any of the tires, including the spare"
   • 2. (in tenpin bowling) an act of knocking down all the pins with two consecutive rolls of the ball.

   verb

   • 1. give (something of which one has enough) to (someone); afford to give to: "she asked if I could spare her a dollar or two" Similar afforddo withoutmanage withoutget along withoutdispense withpart withgivelet someone haveprovide
   • ▪ make free or available: "I'm sure you can spare me a moment"
   • 2. refrain from killing, injuring, or distressing: "there was no way the men would spare her" Similar not harmleave uninjuredleave unhurtbe merciful toshow mercy tohave mercy onbe lenient todeal leniently withhave pity onpardongrant a pardon toexcuseleave unpunishedforgivereprievereleasefreelet offamnestyinformal:go easy on
   • ▪ refrain from inflicting (something) on (someone): "the country had until now been spared the violence occurring elsewhere"
   • ▪ try to ensure or satisfy one's own comfort or needs: "in her concern to help others, she has never spared herself"
   • 3. be frugal: archaic "but some will spend, and some will spare"

   Word Origin Old Englishspær ‘not plentiful, meager’, sparian ‘refrain from injuring’, ‘refrain from using’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German sparen ‘to spare’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. sparely adverb
   • 2. spareness noun

   Scrabble Points: 7

   • S

     1

   • P

     3

   • A

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   • R

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   • E

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