释义 |
spade I. \ˈspād\ noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English spadu, spædu; akin to Old Frisian spada spade, Old Saxon spado, Middle High German spat, spate, Icelandic spathi spade, Greek spathē blade, Hittite išpatar spit, Old High German spān chip of wood — more at spoon 1. a. : an implement for turning soil resembling a shovel, adapted for being pushed into the ground with the foot and having a heavy, usually flat and oblong blade b. (1) : the depth a spade reaches in digging < ditches two spades deep > (2) : the total length of a spade 2. : any of several spade-shaped instruments: as a. : a cutting instrument used in flensing a whale b. : a spade-shaped prong on the underside of the trail of a gun carriage that is embedded in the ground to check recoil of the carriage c. : a long-handled tool similar in appearance to a garden spade used for compacting and smoothing vertical surfaces of freshly-placed concrete in forms 3. : the horny formation on the heel of the spadefoot toad II. verb (-ed/-ing/-s) transitive verb 1. a. : to dig up or out with a spade : pare off with a spade < spade a garden > < spade a trench > b. : to place or cover with a spade < spade plants in > < spade fertilizer under > 2. : to compact and smooth (a vertical surface of freshly placed concrete) by operating a spade up and down between the form and the concrete intransitive verb : to use a spade Synonyms: see dig III. noun (-s) Etymology: origin unknown : a three-year old stag IV. noun (-s) Etymology: Italian spada or Spanish espada sword (used as a mark on playing cards), both from Latin spatha spatula, broad sword, from Greek spathē blade — more at spade I 1. a. : a usually black figure ♠ impressed on each card of one of the four suits of a pack of playing cards b. : a card marked with this figure c. spades plural : the suit of cards marked with this figure < he was strong in spades > d. : an odd trick in bridge won or contracted for with spades as trumps < I bid one spade > < four spades bid and made > e. spades plural : the winning of the majority of the spades in casino; also : the score of one point for this 2. slang : negro; especially : a dark-skinned Negro — usually taken to be offensive • - in spades V. transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: by folk etymology from spay chiefly dialect : spay |