span — the full extent or range of something; a period of time
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: the full extent or range of something; a period of time
Pronunciation (IPA): /spæn/
Example Sentences
- My goldfish has a shorter attention span than a TikTok video.
- The career of some influencers spans exactly 15 minutes of fame.
- Her knowledge spans multiple fields of science.
span
NOUN[/spæn/]
the full extent or range of something; a period of time
The new bridge spans the wide river, connecting two distant villages.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Span derives from Old English 'spann', originally denoting the distance across an open hand from thumb to little finger. This term reflects an ancient system of measurement based on human body proportions, where the span of an outstretched hand served as a practical unit of length.
Breakdown
spann (Old English: span of an open hand) → span. The word maintains its morphological identity from Old English, with the double 'n' eventually simplified to single 'n' in modern English.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My goldfish has a shorter attention span than a TikTok video.”
“The career of some influencers spans exactly 15 minutes of fame.”
“Her knowledge spans multiple fields of science.”
“The historical period spans from ancient times to the modern era.”
📚Related Words
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