Adjacent Words

Spur definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SPUR, n.
1. An instrument having a rowel or little wheel with sharp points, worn on horsemens heels, to prick the horses for hastening their pace.
Girt with rusty sword and spur.
Hence, to set spurs to a horse, is to prick him and put him upon a run.
2. Incitement; instigation. The love of glory is the spur to heroic deeds.
3. The largest or principal root of a tree; hence perhaps, the short wooden buttress of a post; [that is, in both cases, a shoot.]
4. The hard pointed projection on a cocks leg, which serves as an instrument of defense and annoyance.
5. Something that projects; a snag.
6. In America, a mountain that shoots from any other mountain or range of mountains, and extends to some distance in a lateral direction, or at right angles.
7. That which excites. We say, upon the spur of the occasion; that is, the circumstances or emergency which calls for immediate action.
8. A sea swallow.
9. The hinder part of the nectary in certain flowers, shaped like a cocks spur.
10. A morbid shoot or excrescence in grain, particularly in rye.
11. In old fortifications, a wall that crosses a part of the rampart and joins to the town wall.
SPUR, v.t.
1. To prick with spurs; to incite to a more hasty pace; as, to spur a horse.
2. To incite; to instigate; to urge or encourage to action, or to a more vigorous pursuit of an object. Some men are spurred to action by the love of glory, others by the love of power. Let affection spur us to social and domestic duties.
3. To impel; to drive.
Love will not be spurrd to what it lothes.
4. To put spurs on.
Spurs of the beams, in a ship, are curving timbers, serving as half beams to support the deck, where whole beams cannot be used.
SPUR, v.i.
1. To travel with great expedition.
The Parthians shall be there, and spurring from the fight, confess their fear. [Unusual.]
2. To press forward.
Some bold men--by spurring on, refine themselves.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something; "the ceaseless prodding got on his nerves" [syn: goad, goading, prod, prodding, urging, spur, spurring]
2: any sharply pointed projection [syn: spur, spine, acantha]
3: tubular extension at the base of the corolla in some flowers
4: a sharp prod fixed to a rider's heel and used to urge a horse onward; "cowboys know not to squat with their spurs on" [syn: spur, gad]
5: a railway line connected to a trunk line [syn: branch line, spur track, spur] v
1: incite or stimulate; "The Academy was formed to spur research"
2: give heart or courage to [syn: spur, goad]
3: strike with a spur
4: goad with spurs; "the rider spurred his horse"
5: equip with spurs; "spur horses"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English spure, from Old English spura; akin to Old English spurnan to kick — more at spurn Date: before 12th century 1. a. a pointed device secured to a rider's heel and used to urge on the horse b. plural [from the acquisition of spurs by a person achieving knighthood] recognition and reward for achievement <won his academic spurs as the holder of a chair in a university — James Mountford> 2. a goad to action ; stimulus 3. something projecting like or suggesting a spur: as a. a projecting root or branch of a tree, shrub, or vine b. (1) a stiff sharp spine (as on the wings or legs of a bird or insect); especially one on a cock's leg (2) a gaff for a gamecock c. a hollow projecting appendage of a corolla or calyx (as in larkspur or columbine) d. a bony outgrowth (as on the heel of the foot) e. climbing iron 4. a. an angular projection, offshoot, or branch extending out beyond or away from a main body or formation; especially a ridge or lesser elevation that extends laterally from a mountain or mountain range b. a railroad track that branches off from a main line 5. a reinforcing buttress of masonry in a fortification Synonyms: see motive II. verb (spurred; spurring) Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. to urge (a horse) on with spurs 2. to incite to action or accelerated growth or development ; stimulate 3. to put spurs on intransitive verb to spur one's horse on

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a device with a small spike or a spiked wheel worn on a rider's heel for urging a horse forward. 2 a stimulus or incentive. 3 a spur-shaped thing, esp.: a a projection from a mountain or mountain range. b a branch road or railway. c a hard projection on a cock's leg. d a steel point fastened to the leg of a gamecock. e a climbing-iron. f a small support for ceramic ware in a kiln. 4 Bot. a a slender hollow projection from part of a flower. b a short fruit-bearing shoot. --v. (spurred, spurring) 1 tr. prick (a horse) with spurs. 2 tr. a (often foll. by on) incite (a person) (spurred him on to greater efforts; spurred her to try again). b stimulate (interest etc.). 3 intr. (often foll. by on, forward) ride a horse hard. 4 tr. (esp. as spurred adj.) provide (a person, boots, a gamecock) with spurs. Phrases and idioms: on the spur of the moment on a momentary impulse; impromptu. put (or set) spurs to 1 spur (a horse). 2 stimulate (resolution etc.). spur-gear = spur-wheel. spur royal hist. a 15-shilling coin of James I bearing a spurlike sun with rays. spur-wheel a cog-wheel with radial teeth. Derivatives: spurless adj. Etymology: OE spora, spura f. Gmc, rel. to SPURN

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spur Spur, n. 1. (Mining) A branch of a vein. 2. The track of an animal, as an otter; a spoor.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spur Spur, n. [See Sparrow.] (Zo["o]l.) (a) A sparrow. [Scot.] (b) A tern. [Prov. Eng.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spur Spur, n. [OE. spure, AS. spura, spora; akin to D. spoor, G. sporn, OHG. sporo, Icel. spori, Dan. spore, Sw. sporre, and to AS. spor a trace, footstep, spyrian to trace, track, examine, and E. spurn. [root]171. Cf. Sparrow, Spere, Spoor, Spurn.] 1. An implement secured to the heel, or above the heel, of a horseman, to urge the horse by its pressure. Modern spurs have a small wheel, or rowel, with short points. Spurs were the badge of knighthood. And on her feet a pair of spurs large. --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spur Spur, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spurred; p. pr. & vb. n. Spurring.] 1. To prick with spurs; to incite to a more hasty pace; to urge or goad; as, to spur a horse. 2. To urge or encourage to action, or to a more vigorous pursuit of an object; to incite; to stimulate; to instigate; to impel; to drive. Love will not be spurred to what it loathes. --Shak. 3. To put spurs on; as, a spurred boot.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spur Spur, v. i. To spur on one' horse; to travel with great expedition; to hasten; hence, to press forward in any pursuit. ``Now spurs the lated traveler.'' --Shak. The Parthians shall be there, And, spurring from the fight, confess their fear. --Dryden. The roads leading to the capital were covered with multitudes of yeomen, spurring hard to Westminster. --Macaulay. Some bold men, . . . by spurring on, refine themselves. --Grew.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(spurs, spurring, spurred) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If one thing spurs you to do another, it encourages you to do it. It's the money that spurs these fishermen to risk a long ocean journey in their flimsy boats... His friend's plight had spurred him into taking part. = urge VERB: V n to-inf, V n to/into n/-ing • Spur on means the same as spur. Their attitude, rather than reining him back, only seemed to spur Philip on... Criticism can be of great use; we may not like it at the time, but it can spur us on to greater things. PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V n P to n 2. If something spurs a change or event, it makes it happen faster or sooner. (JOURNALISM) The administration may put more emphasis on spurring economic growth... VERB: V n 3. Something that acts as a spur to something else encourages a person or organization to do that thing or makes it happen more quickly. ...a belief in competition as a spur to efficiency... N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N to n 4. Spurs are small metal wheels with sharp points that are attached to the heels of a rider's boots. The rider uses them to make their horse go faster. N-COUNT: usu pl 5. The spur of a hill or mountain is a piece of ground which sticks out from its side. N-COUNT 6. If you do something on the spur of the moment, you do it suddenly, without planning it beforehand. They admitted they had taken a vehicle on the spur of the moment... PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Goad, prick, point, rowel. 2. Incitement, stimulus, incentive, impulse, inducement, instigation, provocation, motive, fillip, whip, goad. 3. Snag, point, knot, gnarl, knob, projection. 4. Ergot, horn-seed, spurred rye. 5. Branch, subordinate range (of mountains). II. v. a. 1. Prick (with the spur). 2. Stimulate, incite, rouse, arouse, goad, induce, instigate, impel, urge forward, drive, animate. III. v. n. Prick, gallop, hasten, press forward, press on.

Moby Thesaurus

accelerate, activation, actuation, aculeate, acuminate, animate, appendage, arm, arouse, awaken, barb, barbel, barbule, bill, bough, branch, brashly, breakwater, bundle, bustle, cage, cape, catalyst, cheer on, chersonese, cog, comb, coral reef, corral, countenance, crag, crest, crowd, cuspidate, delta, dispatch, drive, drive on, drove, edge, egg on, encourage, encouragement, excitant, excite, exhort, expedite, fang, favor, file, flog, foreland, forward, gad, gadfly, gaff, goad, goad on, grind, hand, harrow, haste, hasten, hasten on, hastily, head, headland, herd, hie on, hilltop, hone, hook, hound on, hurry, hurry along, hurry on, hurry up, hustle, hustle up, imp, impel, impetuously, impetus, impromptu, impulse, impulsively, incautiously, incentive, incitation, incite, incitement, induce, inducement, instigate, instigation, jag, joint, knoll, lash, leg, limb, link, lobe, lobule, lofty peak, member, motivate, motivation, motive, mountaintop, mull, naze, needle, ness, nudge, offshoot, oilstone, on the spot, organ, oxgoad, peak, pecten, peninsula, pic, pico, pike, pinion, pinnacle, point, poke, precipice, precipitate, press, pressure, prick, process, prod, projection, promontory, prompt, prompting, prong, propel, provocation, provoke, punch cattle, push, push on, push through, quicken, quill, railroad through, rake, rally, ramification, rashly, ratchet, recklessly, reef, reset, ride herd on, root on, round up, rouse, rowel, runner, rush, rush along, sandspit, sawtooth, scion, set, sharpen, shepherd, sic, snag, snaggle, speed, speed along, speed on, speed up, spiculate, spike, spine, spire, spit, spray, sprig, sprocket, spur on, stampede, steeple, stimulant, stimulate, stimulation, stimulus, sting, stir, strap, strop, suddenly, summit, switch, tail, taper, tendril, thoughtlessly, tine, tongue, tooth, tor, twig, unexpectedly, unpremeditatedly, unthinkingly, urge, urge on, urging, whet, whip, whip along, whip on, whiplash, wing, wrangle