SPANNER

wrench, spanner

(noun) a hand tool that is used to hold or twist a nut or bolt

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

spanner (plural spanners)

(Australian, NZ, British, Irish) A hand tool for adjusting nuts and bolts; a wrench.

(rare) One who, or that which, spans.

(weaponry) A hand tool shaped like a small crank handle, for winding the spring of a wheel lock on a musket.

(obsolete) A device in early steam engines for moving the valves for the alternate admission and shutting off of the steam.

(UK) A problem, dilemma or obstacle; something unexpected or troublesome (in the phrase spanner in the works)

(British, Irish, mildly, derogatory) A stupid or unintelligent person; one prone to making mistakes, especially in language.

Synonyms

• (hand tool for nuts and bolts): wrench (US)

Anagrams

• panners

Source: Wiktionary


Span"ner, n.

1. One who, or that which, spans.

2. The lock of a fusee or carbine; also, the fusee or carbine itself. [Obs.]

3. An iron instrument having a jaw to fit a nut or the head of a bolt, and used as a lever to turn it with; a wrench; specifically, a wrench for unscrewing or tightening the couplings of hose.

4. pl.

Definition: A contrivance in some of the ealier steam engines for moving the valves for the alternate admission and shutting off of the steam.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

19 June 2025

ROOTS

(noun) the condition of belonging to a particular place or group by virtue of social or ethnic or cultural lineage; “his roots in Texas go back a long way”; “he went back to Sweden to search for his roots”; “his music has African roots”


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The average annual yield from one coffee tree is the equivalent of 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of roasted coffee. It takes about 4,000 hand-picked green coffee beans to make a pound of coffee.

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