Spanse: The New Word You Never Knew You Needed

Have you ever heard of spanse? I’m not sure if it’s even been accepted into the dictionary or not, but if you haven’t yet heard of this word, that’s about to change. Spanse is the new word you never knew you needed, and once you learn how to use it in your daily life, it will help you to be both more efficient and more effective at completing your work tasks in an orderly manner without getting distracted by social media or other non-work-related things on the internet.

Yes, spanse is definitely a word

What does it mean? It means more than one thing, actually. Spanse can either be a countable noun (meaning there is an amount to be counted), or an uncountable noun (meaning there isn’t an amount of spanse to count). For example, I wish I had five spanse of patience in my life or She is a single light in a dark world; there is not spanse of her. Both sentences are correct, and they both use spanse correctly. 

However, She has a lot of patience would be incorrect because it would imply that she has more than one instance of patience. In other words, if something is spanned by something else, then it takes up all space that something else could occupy—so if someone were to say I have two spanses of space on my desk for your items, then they must have at least three things on their desk.

What does it mean?

SPANSE is a real, honest-to-goodness word that means past tense of spance. And what does spance mean? To be or not to be. Do you see? Not only is it a real word, but it was also inspired by Shakespeare, so now we get to use a fancy-schmancy version of is in everyday speech! How cool is that?!? Also, did I mention that spanse rhymes with lance and dance (and has nothing to do with those other words)? So basically, if you’re looking for an excuse to say I am going on a lancing and dancing spree today, then look no further than spanse.

Where did it come from?

Well, there’s no simple answer to that. According to Merriam-Webster, spanse has actually been in use since at least 1692, when it appeared in John Dunton’s A Word to the Wise. It was officially listed as an official English word in 1923—when it was defined as a verb meaning to expel or emit saliva with a hissing sound. The definition has since broadened into more of a synonym for spit, but there are plenty of definitions that are even less appealing than that. 

One dictionary I looked up on Amazon (seriously) defines spanse as some kind of animal droppings or foul smelling matter from another planet? So…yeah. Not exactly something we want to be using every day.

Examples in use

The next time someone asks you if your pants are spanse, confidently reply, Yes. For example, if someone asks, Do these pants make me look spanse? Respond with a simple, but confident, Yes. They do. The name is based on when a friend of mine started to describe her pants as spanse one day—she told me that she didn’t know if it was a real word or not; I later found out that it is most definitely not. Despite its rarity and lack of use in any formal sense, I think it can fill a void in our language (and social interactions). Now go forth and proudly call everything spanse!

Also read; Bottled and Jarred Packaged Goods

Conclusion

In your opinion, is spanse a real word? Is it too informal for everyday use, or does its playfulness add to its appeal? Why do some people insist that it isn’t a legitimate English word, despite all evidence to the contrary? Let us know what you think! And make sure to check out other blogs from Indium Corporation for more information on technology and business. We would love to hear from you about what topics you’d like covered in future posts.