spread
/spɹid/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.81 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To stretch out, open out (a material etc.) so that it more fully covers a given area of space.
Transitive verb
verb
To extend (individual rays, limbs etc.); to stretch out in varying or opposing directions. simple past and past participle of spread
Transitive verb
verb
To disseminate; to cause to proliferate, to make (something) widely known or present.
Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "He spread his newspaper on the table."
- "I spread my arms wide and welcomed him home."
- "I spread the rice grains evenly over the floor."
- "Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine.[…]One thing that is true, though, is that murder rates have fallen over the centuries, as policing has spread and the routine carrying of weapons has diminished. Modern society may not have done anything about war. But peace is a lot more peaceful."
- "As the Erzurum affair indicated, the janissaries in the provinces and in the capital city were in close touch, and thus the movements were quick to spread to Istanbul."
- "I placed my hands on his cheeks, and this time, I kissed him. “Don't worry, I'm not going to let anything spoil our day. It's just you and me.” A sad smile spread across his face, and I could tell he wanted to believe me, but didn't."
Etymology
From Middle English spreden, from Old English sprǣdan (“to spread, expand”), from Proto-Germanic *spraidijaną (“to spread”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- (“to strew, sow, sprinkle”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian spreede (“to spread”), West Frisian spriede (“to spread”), North Frisian spriedjen (“to spread”), Dutch spreiden (“to spread”), Low German spreden (“to spread”), German spreiten (“to spread, spread out”), Danish sprede (“to spread”), Norwegian spre, spreie (“to spread, disseminate”), Swedish sprida (“to spread”), Latin spernō, spargō, Ancient Greek σπείρω (speírō), Persian سپردن (sepordan, “to deposit”). Doublet of spurn.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *(s)per-, spreden, sprǣdan, *spraidijaną
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /spɹid/
- British English: /spɹiːd/