Meaning of "spear" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD SPEAR

Old English spere; related to Old Norse spjör spears, Greek sparos gilthead.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF SPEAR

spear  [spɪə]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SPEAR

Spear is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb spear in English.

WHAT DOES SPEAR MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Spear

A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or bronze. The most common design for hunting or combat spears since ancient times has incorporated a metal spearhead shaped like a triangle, lozenge or leaf. The heads of fishing spears usually feature barbs or serrated edges. Spears can be divided into two broad categories: those designed for thrusting in melee combat and those designed for throwing. The spear has been used throughout human history both as a hunting and fishing tool and as a weapon. As a weapon, it may be wielded with either one hand or two. It was used in virtually every conflict up until the modern era and was most likely the most commonly used weapon.

Definition of spear in the English dictionary

The first definition of spear in the dictionary is a weapon consisting of a long shaft with a sharp pointed end of metal, stone, or wood that may be thrown or thrust. Other definition of spear is a similar implement used to catch fish. Spear is also to pierce with or as if with a spear.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO SPEAR

PRESENT

Present

I spear

you spear

he/she/it spears

we spear

you spear

they spear

Present continuous

I am spearing

you are spearing

he/she/it is spearing

we are spearing

you are spearing

they are spearing

Present perfect

I have speared

you have speared

he/she/it has speared

we have speared

you have speared

they have speared

Present perfect continuous

I have been spearing

you have been spearing

he/she/it has been spearing

we have been spearing

you have been spearing

they have been spearing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I speared

you speared

he/she/it speared

we speared

you speared

they speared

Past continuous

I was spearing

you were spearing

he/she/it was spearing

we were spearing

you were spearing

they were spearing

Past perfect

I had speared

you had speared

he/she/it had speared

we had speared

you had speared

they had speared

Past perfect continuous

I had been spearing

you had been spearing

he/she/it had been spearing

we had been spearing

you had been spearing

they had been spearing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will spear

you will spear

he/she/it will spear

we will spear

you will spear

they will spear

Future continuous

I will be spearing

you will be spearing

he/she/it will be spearing

we will be spearing

you will be spearing

they will be spearing

Future perfect

I will have speared

you will have speared

he/she/it will have speared

we will have speared

you will have speared

they will have speared

Future perfect continuous

I will have been spearing

you will have been spearing

he/she/it will have been spearing

we will have been spearing

you will have been spearing

they will have been spearing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would spear

you would spear

he/she/it would spear

we would spear

you would spear

they would spear

Conditional continuous

I would be spearing

you would be spearing

he/she/it would be spearing

we would be spearing

you would be spearing

they would be spearing

Conditional perfect

I would have spear

you would have spear

he/she/it would have spear

we would have spear

you would have spear

they would have spear

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been spearing

you would have been spearing

he/she/it would have been spearing

we would have been spearing

you would have been spearing

they would have been spearing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you spear
we let´s spear
you spear

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to spear

Past participle

speared

Present Participle

spearing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «SPEAR»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «spear» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of spear

bayonet · gore · impale · lance · pierce

TRANSLATION OF SPEAR

Find out the translation of spear to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of spear from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «spear» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 矛
• Translator English - Spanish: lanza
• English: spear
• Translator English - Hindi: भाला
• Translator English - Arabic: الرمح
• Translator English - Russian: копье
• Translator English - Portuguese: lança
• Translator English - Bengali: বর্শা
• Translator English - French: lance
• Translator English - Malay: Lembing
• Translator English - German: Speer
• Translator English - Japanese: やり
• Translator English - Korean: 창
• Translator English - Javanese: Tumbak
• Translator English - Vietnamese: thương
• Translator English - Tamil: ஈட்டி
• Translator English - Marathi: भाला
• Translator English - Turkish: mızrak
• Translator English - Italian: lancia
• Translator English - Polish: włócznia
• Translator English - Ukrainian: спис
• Translator English - Romanian: suliță
• Translator English - Greek: δόρυ
• Translator English - Afrikaans: spies
• Translator English - Swedish: spjut
• Translator English - Norwegian: spyd

10 QUOTES WITH «SPEAR»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word spear.

1

David Josiah Brewer

The time has passed in the history of the world when anything is too sacred to be touched, when anything is beyond the reach of the inquiring and scientific spear.

2

Robert Cecil

Faith makes all evil good to us, and all good better; unbelief makes all good evil, and all evil worse. Faith laughs at the shaking of the spear; unbelief trembles at the shaking of a leaf.

3

Cheryl Cole

If I could be good at any sport, it'd be javelin. I know a few people I would love to throw a spear at.

4

Rick Danko

Then, there was Greenpeace, I remember that when they first started out with the boats in the waters, and the guys in the boats between the whales and the boats that will hunting the whales with spear guns.

5

Ferdowsi

Helmet was joined to helmet, and spear to spear, and jewels, baggage, and elephants without number went with them, and you would have said it was a host that none could understand.

6

Christian McKay

I was at the Royal Shakespeare Company, where I thought, in my naivete, I'd stay for the rest of my career. I'd thought I'd work up through the ranks and go from spear carrier - or in my case, the eunuch, which was several rungs below the spear carrier - to King Lear.

7

Hayley Mills

If ever I feel I might be able to tackle it, I'd love to try holding a spear or something in the theater, or opening a door, or anything, just to try it, you know, because it must be some marvelous magic thing.

8

Iggy Pop

Something I like to do a lot is just sit by water when there's a current and just stare into the water. I don't fish, I don't hunt, I don't scuba, I don't spear, don't boat, don't play basketball or football - I excel at staring into space. I'm really good at that.

9

Tad Williams

A well-aimed spear is worth three.

10

James Woolsey

American farmers, by making the commitment to grow more corn for ethanol, are at the top of the spear on the war against terrorism.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SPEAR»

Discover the use of spear in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to spear and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

The Spear

When Steadman agreed to investigate the disappearance of a young Mossad agent, he had no idea he would be drawn into a malevolent conspiracy of neo-Nazi cultists bent on unleashing an age-old unholy power on an unsuspecting world -- power ...

James Herbert, 2011

End of the Spear

Presents the account of a successful businessman in the United States who returned to the jungles of Ecuador to help the tribe who killed his father, revealing the difficult choices he confronted and the long-buried secrets surrounding his ...

Steve Saint, 2010

Dar and the Spear Thrower

A young boy living 15,000 years ago in southeastern France is initiated into manhood by his clan and sets off on a journey to trade his valuable fire rocks for an ivory spear thrower.

Marjorie Cowley, 1996

The Desert Spear

A follow-up to the best-selling The Warded Man continues the adventures of reluctant savior Arlen Bales, who wonders at the identity of a spear-wielding figure that emerges from the desert and leads a vast army intent on a holy war.

Peter V. Brett, 2011

Spear of Destiny

The occult power behind the spear that pierced the side of Christ. How Hitler inverted the Force in a bid to conquer the world. Fascinating reading. Photographs.

Trevor Ravenscroft, 1982

Living by the Point of My Spear

Thus began his journey to write a true biography of Muhammad and the true story of Islam.

Zaki Ameen, 2009

With Arrow, Sword, and Spear: A History of Warfare in the ...

Describes the strategies, battlefield tactics, great commanders, and technology that made success possible in ancient warfare in Greece, Rome, Parthia, India, and China.

Alfred S. Bradford, 2001

Race, Sex, and Social Order in Early New Orleans

Spear brings together archival evidence from three different languages and the most recent and respected scholarship on racial formation and interracial sex to explain why free people of color became a significant population in the early ...

Jennifer M. Spear, 2010

SystemVerilog for Verification: A Guide to Learning the ...

Based on the highly successful second edition, this extended edition of SystemVerilog for Verification: A Guide to Learning the Testbench Language Features teaches all verification features of the SystemVerilog language, providing hundreds ...

Chris Spear, Greg Tumbush, 2012

Dragon Spear

Humans and dragons are finally at peace, and Creel is busy planning her wedding to Prince Luka.

Jessica Day George, 2012

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SPEAR»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term spear is used in the context of the following news items.

Florida Diver Accidentally Shoots Friend in the Head with a Spear …

A Florida diver accidentally shot his friend in the head while the two were spearfishing near the Twin Bridge in Sarasota over the Fourth of July weekend, ... «People Magazine, Jul 15»

Rikers Island correction officer beat inmate Ronald Spear to death …

Jail guard Brian Coll stomped inmate Ronald Spear while correction officers Byron Taylor and Anthony Torres restrained him, prosecutors said. The three then ... «New York Daily News, Jun 15»

Bubba The Sea Lion Dies A Week After Spear Attack

Bubba, the giant sea lion who was impaled by a homemade spear last week, was just pronounced dead at Sea World in San Diego, according to NBC. Despite ... «LAist, Jun 15»

Hawaiian fisherman dies in struggle with swordfish he speared

(Reuters) - A Hawaiian fisherman died when a swordfish he had speared in a harbor on the Big Island struck him in the chest with its sharp bill, officials said. «Yahoo News, May 15»

Sea lion impaled with spear rescued off Southern California coast

May 27, 2015: Keith Yip, curator of mammals at SeaWorld San Diego, holds the homemade spear recovered from a sea lion impaled by the weapon. (AP). «Fox News, May 15»

Former US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Employee Charged …

An e-mail spear-phishing attack involves crafting a convincing e-mail for selected recipients that appears to be from a trusted source and that, when opened, ... «Federal Bureau of Investigation, May 15»

2 Teens Sentenced in the Murder of Miss Venezuela Monica Spear

A Venezuelan court sentenced two teens to at least four years in prison for last year's murder of Miss Venezuela Monica Spear and her ex-husband Thomas ... «Cosmopolitan.com, Apr 15»

Teen arrested over former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear and her …

Monica Spear, 29, and her 39-year-old husband Thomas Berry, from London, were slain in January 2014 when they resisted a robbery attempt while stranded ... «Daily Mail, Jan 15»

Hunt underway for killer shark with spear in throat

Authorities are hunting off the coast of Western Australia for a killer shark with a spear lodged in its throat. Jay Muscat, 17, died when a suspected white pointer ... «9news.com.au, Dec 14»

Killers of Venezuelan beauty queen Monica Spear jailed

Ms Spear, 29, and her British partner, Thomas Berry, were shot dead in ... The family, who lived in the US, was on a visit to Ms Spear's home country when they ... «BBC News, Sep 14»