spay
/speɪ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.43 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To destroy or remove the ovaries or uterus (of a female animal) to prevent pregnancy.
Transitive verb
verb
Alternative form of spae (to foretell or divine)
Example Sentences
- "We’re having our cat spayed as we don’t want her having kittens."
- "With their eye on non-island countries, namely America, the authors of Cat Wars argue for a combination of spay/neuter programs, enclosed sanctuaries, and euthanasia."
- "I was queasy about my first spay of a far-gone feral and left it up to my vet."
Etymology
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /speɪ/