spare

/ˈsper/

Middle English, from Old English spær sparing, scant; akin to Old High German spar spare

adjective

  1. not being used; especially : held for emergency use

  2. being over and above what is needed : superfluous

  3. not liberal or profuse : sparing

lean spare lank lanky gaunt rawboned scrawny skinny mean thin because of an absence of excess flesh. lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours. spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

verb

  1. to forbear to destroy, punish, or harm

  2. to refrain from attacking or reprimanding with necessary or salutary severity

  3. to relieve of the necessity of doing or undergoing something

noun

  1. a spare tire

  2. a duplicate (such as a key or a machine part) kept in reserve

  3. the knocking down of all 10 pins with the first 2 balls in a frame in bowling