sprue

¹ American  

[sproo] / spru /

noun

1. Metallurgy.

   1. an opening through which molten metal is poured into a mold.

   2. the waste metal left in this opening after casting.

2. Metalworking. a channel in a forging die permitting the die to clear that part of the rough piece not being forged.

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verb (used with object)

sprued, spruing

1. to cut the sprues from (a casting).

sprue ² American  

[sproo] / spru /

noun

Pathology.

1. a chronic disease, occurring chiefly in the tropics, resulting from malabsorption of nutrients from the small intestine and characterized by diarrhea, ulceration of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, and a smooth, shining tongue; psilosis.

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sprue ¹ British  

/ spruː /

noun

1. a vertical channel in a mould through which plastic or molten metal is introduced or out of which it flows when the mould is filled

2. plastic or metal that solidifies in a sprue

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sprue ² British  

/ spruː /

noun

1. a chronic disease, esp of tropical climates, characterized by flatulence, diarrhoea, frothy foul-smelling stools, and emaciation

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sprue ³ British  

/ spruː /

noun

1. dialect an inferior type of asparagus

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Etymology

Origin of sprue¹

First recorded in 1820–30; origin uncertain

Origin of sprue²

1815–25; < Dutch spruw; cognate with Middle Low German sprūwe tumor

Example Sentences

The fifth of six children, he contracted rickets and tropical sprue, an intestinal disorder, at 4, both caused by vitamin deficiencies from his limited diet, and suffered from brittle bones throughout his life.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2024

Another sprue was meant to evoke the Statue of Liberty.

From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2018

Ms. Shechet said it represented a sprue, a tool for casting molten material like porcelain.

From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2018

Next, at the University of Havana's Calixto Garcia Hospital, he gave folic acid to victims of tropical sprue, a wasting, debilitating deficiency disease of which anemia is one symptom.

From Time Magazine Archive

That’s nothing compared to some of the other diseases she says she’s suffered from—tetanus, malaria, sprue, typhus.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García