spencer

¹

[ spen-ser ]

noun

1. a short, close-fitting jacket, frequently trimmed with fur, worn in the 19th century by women and children.
2. a man's close-fitting jacket, having a collar and lapels and reaching just below the waist, worn in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
3. an English wig of the 18th century.

Spencer

²

[ spen-ser ]

noun

, Military.

1. a .52 caliber, lever-action repeating rifle and carbine patented in the U.S. in 1860 and used by the Union army and navy in the Civil War.

spencer

³

[ spen-ser ]

noun

, Nautical.

1. a large gaff sail used abaft a square-rigged foremast or abaft the mainmast of a ship or bark.

Spencer

⁴

[ spen-ser ]

noun

1. Charles, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, 1674–1722, British statesman: prime minister 1718–21.
2. Herbert, 1820–1903, English philosopher.
3. Platt Rogers [plat], 1800–64, U.S. calligrapher and teacher of penmanship.
4. a town in NW Iowa.
5. a town in central Massachusetts.
6. a male given name.

Spencer

¹

/ ˈspɛnsə /

noun

1. SpencerHerbert18201903MEnglishPHILOSOPHY: philosopher Herbert. 1820–1903, English philosopher, who applied evolutionary theory to the study of society, favouring laissez-faire doctrines
2. SpencerSir Stanley18911959MEnglishARTS AND CRAFTS: painter Sir Stanley. 1891–1959, English painter, noted esp for his paintings of Christ in a contemporary English setting

spencer

²

/ ˈspɛnsə /

noun

1. a short fitted coat or jacket
2. a woman's knitted vest

spencer

³

/ ˈspɛnsə /

noun

1. nautical a large loose-footed gaffsail on a square-rigger or barque

Word History and Origins

Origin of spencer¹

1740–50; spencer ¹indefs 1, 2 named after G. J. Spencer (1758–1834), English earl; spencer ¹indef 3 named after Charles Spencer

Origin of spencer²

First recorded in 1830–40; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of spencer¹

C18: named after Earl Spencer (1758–1834)

Origin of spencer²

C19: perhaps after the surname Spencer

Example Sentences

At the start, outside their home in the Atlanta suburbs, it was just Spencer and his mother in the evenings.

From Washington Post

Spencer and Carter, the youngest, were drafted by the Nationals.

From Washington Post

With her mom by her side throughout, so was Emily’s wife, Spencer.

From Washington Post

It’ll be very interesting to see how this strategy evolves for Microsoft, and whether Spencer’s prediction will bear out.

From Washington Post

Spencer saw this firsthand in the treatment of patients during the early stages of outbreaks in New York City, where the patient obviously was ill but the resources to test them were unavailable.

From Popular-Science

And yes, someone has already called Spencer a “Small Fry,” har har.

From The Daily Beast

For his part, Bratton is disappointed but not surprised that the same narrative is already being mapped onto Fry and Spencer.

From The Daily Beast

Spencer, 27,  is variously described as a writer and a stand-up comic.

From The Daily Beast

Earl Spencer adds, “Effectively, my great-grandfather sold his children to his father-in-law.”

From The Daily Beast

Craig Spencer, the New York doctor who contracted Ebola in Guinea, was declared “cured” of the virus last week.

From The Daily Beast

Spencer Perceval, prime minister of Great Britain, shot in the lobby of the house of commons.

From Project Gutenberg

Spencer tells us that it is 'absolutely antecedent to all relative experience whatever.'

From Project Gutenberg

Mis' Spencer, you set that cherry pie o' yourn on this particular spot an' figure of this table-cloth!

From Project Gutenberg

His only son, Charles Lord Spencer, was just entering on public life.

From Project Gutenberg

Spencer learned that very night that his sister had admitted her husband to her apartment.

From Project Gutenberg