spoon

spoon
\ \ [OE] The word spoon originally denoted ‘chip of wood’. Such chips typically being slightly concave, they could be used for conveying liquid, and by the 14th century spoon, through Scandinavian influence, was being used in its present-day sense. It goes back ultimately to the same prehistoric base as produced English spade, and its Old Norse relative spánnchip’ lies behind the span of spick and span. The late 19th-century slang use ‘court, make love, bill and coo’ comes from a late 18th-century application of the noun to a ‘shallow’ or foolish person.
\ \ Cf.SPADE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Spoon — Spoon, n. [OE. spon, AS. sp[=o]n, a chip; akin to D. spaan, G. span, Dan. spaan, Sw. sp[*a]n, Icel. sp[ a]nn, sp[ o]nn, a chip, a spoon. [root]170. Cf. {Span new}.] 1. An implement consisting of a small bowl (usually a shallow oval) with a handle …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • spoon — [spo͞on] n. [ME spon < OE a chip: sense infl. by cognate ON spōnn, spoon: see SPADE1] 1. a utensil consisting of a small, shallow, usually oval shaped bowl and a handle, used for picking up or stirring food, etc. as in eating or cooking 2.… …   English World dictionary

  • spoon´i|ly — spoon|y «SPOO nee», adjective, spoon|i|er, spoon|i|est, noun, plural spoon|ies. Informal. –adj. foolish or silly in lovemaking; demonstratively fond: »I was never in love myself, but I ve seen many others spoony (Frederick Marryat) …   Useful english dictionary

  • spoon|y — «SPOO nee», adjective, spoon|i|er, spoon|i|est, noun, plural spoon|ies. Informal. –adj. foolish or silly in lovemaking; demonstratively fond: »I was never in love myself, but I ve seen many others spoony (Frederick Marryat) …   Useful english dictionary

  • Spoon — Spoon, v. i. 1. To fish with a spoon bait. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] 2. In croquet, golf, etc., to spoon a ball. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Spoon — Spoon, v. t. 1. To take up in, or as in, a spoon. [1913 Webster] 2. (Fishing) To catch by fishing with a spoon bait. He had with him all the tackle necessary for spooning pike. Mrs. Humphry Ward. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] 3. In croquet, golf, etc.,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • spoon|ey — «SPOO nee», adjective, spoon|i|er, spoon|i|est, noun, plural spoon|eys. = spoony. (Cf. ↑spoony) …   Useful english dictionary

  • Spoon — 〈[spu:n] m. 6; Golf〉 hölzerner Schläger für lange u. hohe Schläge [engl., eigtl. „Löffel“] * * * Spoon [spu:n, ʃpu:n], der; s, s [engl. spoon, eigtl. = Löffel] (Golf veraltet): löffelförmiger Golfschläger …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Spoon — (sp[=oo]n), v. i. (Naut.) See {Spoom}. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] We might have spooned before the wind as well as they. Pepys. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Spoon — Spoon, v. i. To act with demonstrative or foolish fondness, as one in love. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • spoon — s.m.inv. ES ingl. {{wmetafile0}} TS sport bastone da golf con spatola in legno inclinata, impiegato per effettuare tiri molto lunghi {{line}} {{/line}} DATA: 1964. ETIMO: ingl. spoon propr. cucchiaio …   Dizionario italiano

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