span1

 
Pronunciation: /span/

noun

  • 1the full extent of something from end to end; the amount of space that something covers: a warehouse with a clear span of 28 feet
  • the wingspan of an aircraft or a bird: the gannets had black-tipped wings with a six-foot span
  • an arch or part of a bridge between piers or supports: a major setback was the collapse of one span of a flyover an eight-span bridge
  • (also handspan) the maximum distance between the tips of the thumb and little finger, taken as the basis of a measurement equal to 9 inches.
  • 2the length of time for which something lasts: a short concentration span
  • archaic a short distance or time.

verb (spans, spanning, spanned)

  • 1 [with object] (of a bridge, arch, etc.) extend from side to side of: the stream was spanned by a narrow bridge
  • cover or enclose with the length of one’s hand: her waist was slender enough for him to span with his hands
  • 2extend across (a period of time or a range of subjects): their interests span almost all the conventional disciplines

Origin:

Old English, 'distance between the tips of the thumb and little finger', of Germanic origin; reinforced in Middle English by Old French espan