spay
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English spayen, spaien, from the Anglo-Norman espeier, equivalent to the Old French espeer (“to cut with a sword”), from espee (“sword”), whence the Modern French épée.
Alternative forms
- spaie [16th C.]
- spaye [16th–17th CC.]
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: spā, IPA(key): /speɪ/
- Rhymes: -eɪ
Verb
spay (third-person singular simple present spays, present participle spaying, simple past spayed, past participle spayed or (obsolete) spade)
- (transitive) To remove or destroy the ovaries (of an animal) so that it cannot become pregnant.
Synonyms
- castrate, emasculate (for a male)
- geld (used almost always of animals, especially male horses)
- neuter (used only of animals, especially pets)
- sterilize (used for all species and for both genders)
Translations
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References
- “spay, v.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]
Etymology 2
See spayard.
Noun
spay (plural spays)
- Rare spelling of spayard.
References
- “spay” listed as a variant spelling of “spaya(ɹ)d, spayd”, listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]
Verb
spay (third-person singular simple present spays, present participle spaying, simple past and past participle spayed)
- Alternative form of spae (to foretell or divine)
Anagrams
- APYs, AsPy, Pays, aspy, pays, pyas, yaps
Middle English
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch speye; compare Middle Dutch spoye.
Alternative forms
- spey, speye
Noun
spay (plural spayes)
- sluice
References
- “†spay, n.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]
Etymology 2
See spayen.
Verb
spay (third-person singular simple present spayeth, present participle spayinge, simple past and past participle spaied)
- Alternative infinitive of spayen.
References
- “spay, v.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]
Scots
Etymology
From Northern Middle English spā, from Old Norse spá (“to foretell, prophesy”), from Proto-Germanic *spahōną, *spēhōną (“to observe”), from Proto-Indo-European *speḱ- (“to look”). Cognate with Old High German spehōn (“to peer, spy”) (whence German spähen), Middle Dutch spien, spieden (“to spy”) (whence Dutch spieden). More at spy.
Noun
spay (plural spays)
- A prophecy; omen
Verb
spay (third-person singular present spays, present participle spayin, past spayed, past participle spayed)
- Alternative form of spae