spare

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• Received-Pronunciation: spâr
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• Received-Pronunciation: /spɛə(ɹ)/
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• General-American: spâr
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• General-American: /spɛɚ/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• Australian: /speː/
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• New-Zealand: /speə/ without the cheer–chair merger
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• /spiə/ New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
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• Scotland: /speɹ/
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• /spɜː(ɹ)/ Lancashire, fair–fur merger
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• Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• homophone: spear (cheer–chair merger)
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• homophone: spur (fair–fur merger)
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• rhymes with -ɛə(ɹ)
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• CMU ARPABET: S P EH1 R Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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From Middle English spare, spar, from Old English spær (“sparing, scant”), from Proto-Germanic *sparaz, from Proto-Indo-European *sph1rós, from the root *speh1-. Compare Dutch spaar(zaam), German spar(sam) and spär(lich), Swedish spar(sam), Icelandic sparr (“sparing”); also Latin (pro)sperus (“lucky”), Old Church Slavonic споръ (sporŭ, “plentiful”), Albanian shperr (“earn money”), Persian سپار (sepâr, “entrust; deposit”), Ancient Greek σπαρνός (sparnós, “rare”), Sanskrit स्फिर (sphirá, “thick”).

From spare, a nickname for a frugal person.

From Middle English sparen, sparien, from Old English sparian (“to spare, show mercy to, refrain from injuring or destroying”), from Proto-Germanic *sparōną, *sparāną (“to save, keep, spare”), from Proto-Indo-European *sper- (“to be productive, earn”). Cognate with Scots spar, spare, spair (“to spare”), West Frisian sparje (“to save, spare”), Dutch sparen (“to save, spare”), German sparen (“to save, conserve, economise”), Swedish spara (“to save, save up”), Icelandic spara (“to save, conserve”).

153 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bulgarian: излишен (izlišen) — being over and above what is necessary
• Czech: nadbytečný — being over and above what is necessary
• Dutch: extra — being over and above what is necessary
• Finnish: ylimääräinen — being over and above what is necessary
• German: überschüssig — being over and above what is necessary
• German: überflüssig — being over and above what is necessary
• Hungarian: szabad — being over and above what is necessary
• Hungarian: plusz — being over and above what is necessary
• Hungarian: fennmaradó — being over and above what is necessary
• Hungarian: megmaradt — being over and above what is necessary
• Hungarian: maradék — being over and above what is necessary
• Icelandic: auka- — being over and above what is necessary
• Irish: breise — being over and above what is necessary
• Italian: superfluo — being over and above what is necessary
• Italian: ulteriore — being over and above what is necessary
• Latin: subsicīvus — being over and above what is necessary
• Persian: اضافه (ezâfe) — being over and above what is necessary
• Russian: ли́шний (líšnij) — being over and above what is necessary
• Scottish Gaelic: a bharrachd — being over and above what is necessary
• Swedish: extra- — being over and above what is necessary
• Welsh: sbâr — being over and above what is necessary
• Armenian: պահեստային (pahestayin) — held in reserve
• Bulgarian: запасен (zapasen) — held in reserve
• Bulgarian: резервен (rezerven) — held in reserve
• Czech: náhradní — held in reserve
• Dutch: reserve- — held in reserve
• Finnish: vara- — held in reserve
• French: rechange — held in reserve
• German: Reserve- — held in reserve
• Hungarian: tartalék — held in reserve
• Hungarian: pót- — held in reserve
• Icelandic: vara- — held in reserve
• Irish: breise — held in reserve
• Italian: di scorta — held in reserve
• Italian: di riserva — held in reserve
• Italian: di ricambio — held in reserve
• Māori: tu(w)hene — held in reserve
• Persian: زاپاس (zâpâs) — held in reserve
• Persian: یدکی (yadaki) — held in reserve
• Persian: یدک (yadak) — held in reserve
• Russian: запасно́й (zapasnój) — held in reserve
• Scottish Gaelic: a bharrachd — held in reserve
• Spanish: de reserva — held in reserve
• Spanish: de repuesto — held in reserve
• Spanish: de recambio / refacción / retén — held in reserve
• Swedish: reserv- — held in reserve
• Ottoman Turkish: یدك (yedek) — held in reserve
• Ukrainian: запасни́й (zapasnýj) — held in reserve
• Dutch: extra — not occupied
• Dutch: vrij — not occupied
• German: frei — not occupied
• German: unbenutzt — not occupied
• Icelandic: laus — not occupied
• Icelandic: auður — not occupied
• Irish: folamh — not occupied
• Spanish: de sobra — not occupied
• Spanish: de más — not occupied
• Swedish: extra — not occupied
• Swedish: ledig — not occupied
• Bulgarian: оскъден (oskǎden) — scanty, not abundant or plentiful
• Finnish: niukka — scanty, not abundant or plentiful
• German: spärlich — scanty, not abundant or plentiful
• German: dürftig — scanty, not abundant or plentiful
• Hungarian: szűkös — scanty, not abundant or plentiful
• Hungarian: visszafogott — scanty, not abundant or plentiful
• Hungarian: gyér — scanty, not abundant or plentiful
• Italian: scarso — scanty, not abundant or plentiful
• Russian: уме́ренный (umérennyj) — scanty, not abundant or plentiful
• Russian: скудный (skudnyj) — scanty, not abundant or plentiful
• Bulgarian: пестелив (pesteliv) — sparing
• Finnish: säästäväinen — sparing
• German: sparsam — sparing
• Hungarian: takarékos — sparing
• Italian: frugale — sparing
• Italian: parsimonioso — sparing
• Russian: скупой (skupoj) — sparing
• Bulgarian: мършав (mǎršav) — lean, meager — see also lean
• Finnish: laiha — lean, meager — see also lean
• German: schlank — lean, meager — see also lean
• Hungarian: sovány — lean, meager — see also lean
• Hungarian: cingár — lean, meager — see also lean
• Hungarian: ösztövér — lean, meager — see also lean
• Italian: magro — lean, meager — see also lean
• Italian: smilzo — lean, meager — see also lean
• Manx: thanney — lean, meager — see also lean
• Māori: kōkau — lean, meager — see also lean
• Spanish: repuesto — Translations
• Spanish: recambio — Translations
• Spanish: refacción — Translations
• Spanish: retén — Translations
• Arabic: رَحِمَ (raḥima) — to show mercy
• Armenian: խնայել (xnayel) — to show mercy
• Bulgarian: щадя (štadja) — to show mercy
• Bulgarian: пощадявам (poštadjavam) — to show mercy
• Danish: skåne — to show mercy
• Dutch: sparen — to show mercy
• German: sparen — to show mercy
• Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (freidjan) — to show mercy
• Ancient Greek: φείδομαι (pheídomai) — to show mercy
• Hungarian: megkímél — to show mercy
• Hungarian: kímél — to show mercy
• Icelandic: þyrma — to show mercy
• Italian: risparmiare — to show mercy
• Latin: impercō — to show mercy
• Latin: parcō — to show mercy
• Old Norse: þyrma — to show mercy
• Polish: oszczędzać — to show mercy
• Polish: oszczędzić — to show mercy
• Russian: щади́ть (ščadítʹ) — to show mercy
• Russian: ми́ловать (mílovatʹ) — to show mercy
• Russian: пощади́ть (poščadítʹ) — to show mercy
• Russian: поми́ловать (pomílovatʹ) — to show mercy
• Sanskrit: मृडति (mṛḍati) — to show mercy
• Spanish: perdonar — to show mercy
• Spanish: no adolorar — to show mercy
• Spanish: mostrar misericordia a — to show mercy
• Spanish: ser misericorde con — to show mercy
• Spanish: apiadar (se de) — to show mercy
• Spanish: dejar a salvo — to show mercy
• Swedish: skona — to show mercy
• Turkish: bağışlamak — to show mercy
• Armenian: խնայել (xnayel) — to be frugal
• Bulgarian: икономисвам (ikonomisvam) — to be frugal
• Dutch: sparen — to be frugal
• German: sparen — to be frugal
• Hungarian: spórol — to be frugal
• Hungarian: takarékoskodik — to be frugal
• Latin: parcō — to be frugal
• Māori: matatoua — to be frugal
• Polish: oszczędzać — to be frugal
• Polish: oszczędzić — to be frugal
• Armenian: խնայել (xnayel) — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• Bulgarian: пестя (pestja) — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• Dutch: sparen — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• French: épargner — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• German: sparen — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• Hungarian: félretesz — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• Hungarian: megtakarít — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• Hungarian: megspórol — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• Italian: risparmiare — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• Polish: żałować — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• Polish: szczędzić — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• Quechua: waqaychay — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• Russian: жале́ть (žalétʹ) — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• Spanish: ahorrar — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• Ukrainian: шкодува́ти (škoduváty) — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• Walloon: spårgnî — to reserve from occupation, use or duty
• Spanish: ahorrarse — to keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give
• Spanish: no venirle con — to keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give
• Spanish: holgar — to keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give
• Spanish: sobrar — to keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give
• Spanish: estar de más — to keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give
• Spanish: evitarle — to keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give