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SPAN
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
Irregular inflected forms: spanned , spanning
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The act of sitting or standing astride
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("span" is a kind of...):
motility; motion; move; movement (a change of position that does not entail a change of location)
Meronyms (parts of "span"):
call; call option (the option to buy a given stock (or stock index or commodity future) at a given price before a given date)
put; put option (the option to sell a given stock (or stock index or commodity future) at a given price before a given date)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
Synonyms:
bridge; span
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("span" is a kind of...):
construction; structure (a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts)
Meronyms (parts of "span"):
trestle (a supporting tower used to support a bridge)
arch ((architecture) a masonry construction (usually curved) for spanning an opening and supporting the weight above it)
pier (a support for two adjacent bridge spans)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "span"):
viaduct (bridge consisting of a series of arches supported by piers used to carry a road (or railroad) over a valley)
truss bridge (a bridge supported by trusses)
trestle bridge (a bridge supported by trestlework)
toll bridge (a bridge where toll is charged for crossing)
suspension bridge (a bridge that has a roadway supported by cables that are anchored at both ends)
steel arch bridge (a steel bridge constructed in the form of an arch)
rope bridge (a bridge consisting of ropes)
bateau bridge; floating bridge; pontoon bridge (a temporary bridge built over a series of pontoons)
flyover; overpass (bridge formed by the upper level of a crossing of two highways at different levels)
footbridge; overcrossing; pedestrian bridge (a bridge designed for pedestrians)
drawbridge; lift bridge (a bridge that can be raised to block passage or to allow boats or ships to pass beneath it)
covered bridge (a bridge whose passageway is protected by a roof and enclosing sides)
cattle grid; cattle guard (a bridge over a ditch consisting of parallel metal bars that allow pedestrians and vehicles to pass, but not cattle)
cantilever bridge (bridge constructed of two cantilevers that meet in the middle)
Bailey bridge (a temporary bridge designed for rapid construction)
Holonyms ("span" is a part of...):
transit; transportation; transportation system (a facility consisting of the means and equipment necessary for the movement of passengers or goods)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The distance or interval between two points
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("span" is a kind of...):
distance (the property created by the space between two objects or points)
Derivation:
span (to cover or extend over an area or time period)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A unit of length based on the width of the expanded human hand (usually taken as 9 inches)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Hypernyms ("span" is a kind of...):
linear measure; linear unit (a unit of measurement of length)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Two items of the same kind
Synonyms:
brace; couple; couplet; distich; duad; duet; duo; dyad; pair; span; twain; twosome; yoke
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Hypernyms ("span" is a kind of...):
2; deuce; II; two (the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number)
Meronyms (parts of "span"):
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "span"):
doubleton ((bridge) a pair of playing cards that are the only cards in their suit in the hand dealt to a player)
Sense 6
Meaning:
The complete duration of something
Example:
the job was finished in the span of an hour
Classified under:
Nouns denoting time and temporal relations
Hypernyms ("span" is a kind of...):
continuance; duration (the period of time during which something continues)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "span"):
attention span (the length of time you can concentrate on some idea or activity)
II. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they span ... he / she / it spans
Past simple: spanned
Past participle: spanned
-ing form: spanning
Sense 1
Meaning:
To cover or extend over an area or time period
Example:
The novel spans three centuries
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Hypernyms (to "span" is one way to...):
continue; cover; extend (span an interval of distance, space or time)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s something
Derivation:
span (the distance or interval between two points)
Context examples:
Chromosome 1 spans about 247 million nucleotide base pairs and represents about 8% of the total DNA in normal diploid cells.
(Chromosome 1, NCI Thesaurus)
The date and time span for when the organization relationship is active.
(Organization Relationship Effective Date Range, NCI Thesaurus)
The portion of the urethra that spans the corpus spongiosum.
(Penile Portion of the Urethra, NCI Thesaurus)
The date and time span when this activity began and ended.
(Performed Activity Actual Date Range, NCI Thesaurus)
The date and time span in which the medical history event began and ended.
(Performed Medical History Result Occurrence Date Range, NCI Thesaurus)
The date and time span in which the event began and ended.
(Occurrence Date Range, NCI Thesaurus)
The date and time span specifying the start and end of a job.
(Occupation Date Range, NCI Thesaurus)
Chromosome 10 spans about 135 million base pairs and represents between 4 and 4.5% of the total DNA in normal diploid cells.
(Chromosome 10, NCI Thesaurus)
Chromosome 11 spans about 134.5 million base pairs and represents between 4 and 4.5% of the total DNA in normal diploid cells.
(Chromosome 11, NCI Thesaurus)
Chromosome 12 spans about 143 million base pairs and represents between 4 and 4.5% of the total DNA in normal diploid cells.
(Chromosome 12, NCI Thesaurus)
