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spang

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spang¹

  • /ˈspæŋ/
  • /ˈspeɪ̯ŋ/
  • /ˈspɛ̃ŋ/

Rhymes with -æŋ

Where it comes from

From Middle English spang (“a small piece of ornamental metal; spangle; small ornament; a bowl or cup”), likely from Middle Dutch spange (“buckle, clasp”) or Old English spang (“buckle, clasp”).

noun spangs

  1. obsolete A shiny ornament or object; a spangle With glittering spangs that did like starres appeare.

verb spangs · spanging · spanged

  1. To set with bright points: star or spangle.
  2. To hitch; fasten.

spang²

  • /ˈspæŋ/
  • /ˈspeɪ̯ŋ/
  • /ˈspɛ̃ŋ/

Rhymes with -æŋ

Where it comes from

Onomatopoeic.

verb spangs · spanging · spanged

  1. intransitive Of a flying object (such as a bullet), To strike or ricochet with a loud report. Occasional bullets buzzed in the air and spanged into tree trunks.

adverb

  1. dated, not comparable Suddenly; slap, smack. And I didn't stop until I found myself spang in the middle of the Musée de Cluny, clutching the rack.

spang³

  • /ˈspæŋ/
  • /ˈspeɪ̯ŋ/
  • /ˈspɛ̃ŋ/

Rhymes with -æŋ

Where it comes from

Uncertain. Cognate with Scots spang, and possibly related to English spank.

verb spangs · spanging · spanged

  1. Scotland, UK, dialectal, intransitive To leap; spring. a. 1758, Allan Ramsay, epistle to Robert Yarde But when they spang o'er reason's fence, / We smart for't at our own expense.
  2. Scotland, UK, dialectal, transitive To cause to spring; set forcibly in motion; throw with violence.

noun spangs

  1. Scotland A bound or spring; a leap. Set roast-beef and pudding on the opposite side o' the pit o' Tophet, and an Englishman will mak a spang at it—[…]

spang⁴

  • /ˈspæŋ/
  • /ˈspeɪ̯ŋ/
  • /ˈspɛ̃ŋ/

Rhymes with -æŋ

Where it comes from

See span

noun spangs

  1. Scotland A span.

Spang⁵

proper noun Spangs

  1. A surname.

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"spang." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/spang. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

spang. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/spang

Chicago

"spang." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/spang.

BibTeX
@misc{spang_2026,
  title = {spang},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/spang},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}