Spoon

Pronunciation

• IPA: /spuːn/
• Rhymes: -uːn

From Middle English spone ("spoon, chip of wood"), from Old English spōn ("sliver, chip of wood, shaving"), from Proto-Germanic *spēnuz ("chip, flake, shaving, spoon"), from Proto-Indo-European *spē- ("chip, shaving, log, length of wood"). Cognate with Scots spun, spon ("spoon, shingle"), West Frisian spoen, Dutch spaan ("chip, flinders"), Low German spoon ("thin piece of wood, shaving"), German Span ("chip, flake, shaving"), Swedish spån ("chip, cutting"), Norwegian spon ("chip"), Icelandic spánn, spónn, Ancient Greek σφήν (sphḗn, "wedge").

Full definition of spoon

Noun

1. An implement for eating or serving; a scooped utensil whose long handle is straight, in contrast to a ladle.
• ShakespeareHe must have a long spoon that must eat with the devil.
2. An implement for stirring food while being prepared; a wooden spoon.
3. A measure that will fit into a spoon; a spoonful.
4. (sports, archaic) A wooden-headed golf club with moderate loft, similar to the modern three wood.
5. (fishing) A type of metal lure resembling the concave head of a table spoon.
6. (dentistry, informal) A spoon excavator.
7. (figuratively, slang, archaic) A simpleton, a spooney.

Derived terms

Verb

1. To serve using a spoon.Sarah spooned some apple sauce onto her plate.
2. (intransitive, dated) To flirt; to make advances; to court, to interact romantically or amorously.
• 1913, D. H. Lawrence, ,Do you think we spoon and do? We only talk.
3. (transitive or intransitive, slang, of persons) To lie nestled front-to-back, following the contours of the bodies, in a manner reminiscent of stacked spoons.
4. (tennis) To hit weakly
• 2012, June 28, Jamie Jackson, Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal, Rosol spurned the chance to finish off a shallow second serve by spooning into the net, and a wild forehand took the set to 5-4, with the native of Prerov required to hold his serve for victory.

Derived terms

• spooner
• big spoon, little spoon

Origin uncertain. Compare spoom.

Verb

1. Alternative form of spoom
• Samuel PepysWe might have spooned before the wind as well as they.

Derived terms

• spoon-drift

Anagrams

• no-ops, snoop