span
span Lexical Profile
span Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The full extent of time that something lasts or continues.
"The research project was completed within a remarkably short span of six months."
The full extent or measure of space from one end of something to the other, or the section of a bridge or arch between two supports.
"Engineers inspected the central span of the suspension bridge after the storm."
A unit of length based on the width of a fully spread human hand from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger, standardized at nine inches.
"In ancient measurements, the height of the stone altar was recorded as five spans."
• verb
To extend across a period of time or a range of subjects.
"Her distinguished academic career spanned more than four decades."
To stretch or reach from side to side across a physical space or barrier.
"A picturesque stone bridge spans the narrow river at the edge of the village."
• Rhymes for span
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English spann, referring to the distance between the tips of the thumb and little finger of a fully extended hand, ultimately from a Proto-Germanic root meaning 'to draw or stretch'.