| 释义 |
nounPlural spans spanspæn 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 Example sentencesExamples - Concrete was the only material which could cover the huge spans of the rooms.
- Fifty-four feet high, the mill has sails that cover a seventy-foot span.
- Her mouth seemed to spread the entire span of her head.
- The moon would peek out every now and then, but it was mostly hidden behind monstrous black clouds that stretched across the span of the sky.
- Hispanics dominate large portions of counties in a span of states stretching from California to Texas.
- While a radiator has one relatively small hot area, the underfloor pipes range the full span of the floor, and this greater surface area mean that the pipes don't need to be as hot and the heat is more evenly spread.
- The span of the Pacific Ocean, covered in fog, hints at the approach of winter.
Synonyms extent, full extent, length, width, reach, stretch, spread, distance, compass, range - 1.1 The wingspan of an aircraft or a bird.
the gannets had black-tipped wings with a six-foot span Example sentencesExamples - Their wings stretched to a massive span of six feet.
- Powerful wings spread a span of twenty feet and Jack had to step back to avoid being hit.
- The wings of the Tupolev-designed plane had a span of more than sixty metres, the same as a Boeing 747's.
- Immense wings spread to more than the span of 2 metres in total length.
Synonyms extent, full extent, length, width, reach, stretch, spread, distance, compass, range - 1.2 An arch or part of a bridge between piers or supports.
a major setback was the collapse of one span of a flyover Example sentencesExamples - More people die annually in Victoria on the road system, of which the West Gate Bridge is just one small span, than did in the accident that occurred during its construction in 1970.
- Pretension stiffens cables against deflection, and fabric or foil, also pre-tensioned, can be used between the cables to create very large spans.
- Wrought iron greatly multiplied the possibilities of tension: much wider roof spans than those offered by timber alone were now possible.
- Next year will see the start of the five-year $3billion replacement of the eastern span of the Bay Bridge.
- The bridge design is unpretentious. It consists simply of two steel towers supporting a lift span.
- The new span's design reflects the graceful arch of Folsom's 1916 Rainbow Bridge just upstream.
- Cast glass channels in extruded aluminum flames can be installed for long or tall spans without added supports.
- However, as the spans increase it is possible to lay the decking in the vertical position and widen the beam or joist spacing.
- He opted for a double-curved, reinforced, thin concrete shell structure which permitted major spans, without deformation.
- The pipe-arch structure, a large space frame, is perhaps the most economical design for the wide span.
- Officials first tried to limit the number of pedestrians on the bridge, but when that did not seem to help they decided to close the span to allow engineers to study the problem.
- The raft had wedged itself up against the steel span of a collapsed bridge.
- The Croatian bridge has a much smaller span, and does not have to rise for shipping, but its deck forms a real part of the spatial sequence of the city.
- In the pre-industrial age, the structural form that was used for the widest spans was the masonry vault or dome.
- But at the end of that year, on 28 December 1879, several spans collapsed in a severe storm while a train was crossing, sending 74 people to their deaths.
- Internally, the central span peaked on rounded trusses.
- Bal reached the middle of the bridge where the huge span was missing.
- Without vaulting or trusses, Yemeni traditional architecture had to rely on the usable length of palm, acacia or tamarisk trunks for spans.
- 1.3 The maximum distance between the tips of the thumb and little finger, taken as the basis of a measurement equal to 9 inches.
Example sentencesExamples - Lang's handspan covers 12 notes on the piano keyboard.
- He held out an arm to show how the end of the sleeve hung two handspans below his knuckles.
- A good rule of thumb when buying or constructing a flight cage for large parrots is that the width should be twice the wingspan, plus a handspan.
2The length of time for which something lasts. a short concentration span Example sentencesExamples - You are pregnant only for a short span of time my dear.
- I have managed to find true friends within my short span, and I wish you the same sort of felicity.
- His star-studded career spans more than 50 years.
- She talked constantly, wouldn't accept authority and had such a short span of attention that she'd probably wander off to make herself a coffee during the initial job interview.
- The sky had opened up during the short span of time between my entering the lobby, picking up Rob, and going to leave again.
- I didn't have an answer because I didn't know myself and thankfully her concentration span was lacking at that point.
- These are men who, within the short span of three weeks, brought life, hope and joy to a leper colony, simply by offering handshakes.
- If you go back and look at the career of John Carpenter, you will find a remarkable string of artistic successes that stretched over a span of 12 years.
- The authors recorded more than 235 interviews over a span of ten years.
- These are people who've packed seemingly 10 lifetimes into one normal span.
- His reign spans more than 40 years and it was during this time that a new civilization - a European civilization - came into existence.
- Suddenly, in the span of a few short years, forests had become ‘indispensable’ not only to support industrial growth but for the sake of national security.
- In a short span, they were on the ground level, facing the door to the street.
- I had learned a life lesson in the short span in which he'd been missing, and I wasn't planning on forgetting it anytime soon.
- I silently thanked my short concentration span for tuning in for the first few minutes at least.
- He had lost three important things in a short span of a day.
- As you can see we managed to pull it off although I must say I've never before done a review in such a short span of time.
- In the span of 28 short minutes, the band races through 10 songs that are all maddeningly pleasant-sounding.
- His recording career at the piano spans more than 40 years.
Synonyms period, space, time, duration, stretch, course, interval, season, term - 2.1archaic A short distance or time.
verbspans, spanned, spanning spanspæn 1with object (of a bridge, arch, etc.) extend from side to side of. the stream was spanned by a narrow bridge Example sentencesExamples - An old wooden bridge spanned the gap that would allow us to head even further up the mountain.
- The first branch was spanned with a bridge and the second with a ford.
- In addition to the bridge that spans a coastal landscape lined with seawalls, the city is circumscribed by walls and water.
- Most people approach the museum across a bridge which spans railway and motorway.
- If I get up from my office desk and walk across the room I can see in the distance the twin towers of the Severn Bridge spanning the Bristol Channel and behind them the first grey-green tracings of the landscape of Wales.
- I love the palace gardens, taking walks to the pagodas, over bridges spanning lakes full of koi carp and under cherry blossom trees.
- Suspended some 300 feet above a ravine, the footbridge would span a quarter mile between two mountains.
- So the university commissioned a pedestrian bridge to span a hazardous street, uniting the residential tower with the rest of campus.
- A bridge spanned the moat in front of the entrance.
- The path turned to cross a small stone bridge spanning a stream.
- We passed the occasional kamikaze truck driver hurtling down the narrow mountain roads; and forded green rivers that were spanned by metal bridges.
- There was a causeway bridge which spanned the waterway a half a mile ahead.
- Bridges spanning the Chicago River provided a compelling motif for several painters in the exhibition.
- Charles Bridge spans the river and the lower neighbourhoods on either side, which gives pedestrians a unique opportunity to peer into third-storey apartments.
- According to a newspaper report, the first arch spanned the River Severn on 2nd July 1779.
- The entrance to the mysterious footbridge spanning Eighth Avenue is blocked by yet another security checkpoint.
- It is the first Thames crossing to be built in more than a century and the first pedestrian bridge to span the river.
- One of the favorite sites in Schenectady, before it was torn down in 1874, was the covered bridge that spanned the Mohawk River.
- A bridge spans the moat from the gently sloping walk to the house entrance.
- The bridge spans the Lot river and offers a suggestion of French mediaeval military design.
Synonyms bridge, cross, traverse, pass over, arch over, vault over - 1.1 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 Example sentencesExamples - Fingerprints and facial appearance change over time, while iris texture remains unchanged for time periods spanning decades.
- The second volume spans the period from the Reformation to the railroads, which heralded Britain as the world's premier urban nation.
- The defining dates of the style generally span the last decades of the eighteenth century through the first quarter of the nineteenth century.
- Many stock analysts plot the daily net advances of the stock market in a graph that can span months or even years.
- The 464 black and white photographs taken between Spring 1982 and Fall 1993 span the period in which the Wall came down.
- Using a combination of classified ads and informal networks, they interviewed surrogate candidates over a period spanning several years.
- The calendar itself spans a year, but can be extended.
- Brokeback Mountain spans a time period of nearly twenty years.
- These illustrations are no more than indications of a range of possibilities spanning several centuries.
- Here, then is a festival of Woolrich films spanning seven decades and five countries.
- For mile after mile of the book, spanning month upon month of so-called ‘action’, there is nothing but prose.
- Hers was a career that spanned some seven decades and, most of all, a life well lived.
- Three works by the Maestro spanning a twenty year period.
- In most cases, recovering money spent acquiring tech equipment will span several years.
- A complete planning cycle should ideally span a period of about three to five years.
- As every student knows, the period of American history spanning the years 1896 to 1913 is known as the Golden Age Of Zweibel.
- There are seven American Girl dolls in all, spanning a period from the American Revolution to the Second World War.
- Their intricate work sometimes spanned decades.
- After a silent moment that seemed to span an eternity, she turned to him again.
- It's also interesting to note that this is one of the few episodes that spans an extended period, covering at least several months in the single hour.
Synonyms extend over, last, stretch across, spread over, cover, range over, comprise, compass
Origin Old English, 'distance between the tips of the thumb and little finger', of Germanic origin; reinforced in Middle English by Old French espan. Span as a measure of distance was originally a ‘distance between the tips of the thumb and little finger’. Of Germanic origin, it was rare in Old English but was reinforced from 1300 by Old French version espan. The meaning ‘a short space of time’ (mortal span) dates from the late 16th century. The word was applied to the ‘arch of a bridge’ only from the early 19th century.
Rhymes Aberfan, Adrianne, an, Anne, artisan, astrakhan, ban, began, Belmopan, bipartisan, bran, can, Cannes, Cézanne, Cheyenne, clan, courtesan, cran, dan, Dayan, Diane, divan, élan, Elan, fan, flan, foreran, Fran, Friedan, Gell-Mann, gran, Han, Hunan, Ivan, Jan, Japan, Jinan, Joanne, Kazan, Klan, Kordofan, Lacan, Lausanne, Leanne, Limousin, Louvain, man, Mann, Marianne, Milan, Moran, nan, Oran, outran, outspan, Pan, panne, parmesan, partisan, pavane, pecan, Pétain, plan, Pusan, ran, rataplan, rattan, Rosanne, Sagan, Saipan, saran, scan, scran, sedan, spick-and-span, Spokane, Suzanne, Tainan, tan, than, tisane, trepan, van, vin, Wuhan, Xian, Yerevan, Yunnan, Zhongshan nounPlural spans spanspæn 1Nautical
A rope with its ends fastened at different points to a spar or other object in order to provide a purchase. 2North American A matched pair of horses, mules, or oxen. - 2.1South African A team of two or more pairs of oxen.
- 2.2South African A work gang, especially of prisoners.
3a spanSouth African dated, informal A lot.
verbspans, spanned, spanning span [with object]South African Yoke (an animal) he spanned his donkeys to the cart
Origin Mid 16th century (as a verb): from Dutch or Low German spannen. The noun (originally in nautical use) dates from the mid 18th century. nounspænspan 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 Example sentencesExamples - Concrete was the only material which could cover the huge spans of the rooms.
- Hispanics dominate large portions of counties in a span of states stretching from California to Texas.
- The moon would peek out every now and then, but it was mostly hidden behind monstrous black clouds that stretched across the span of the sky.
- While a radiator has one relatively small hot area, the underfloor pipes range the full span of the floor, and this greater surface area mean that the pipes don't need to be as hot and the heat is more evenly spread.
- Her mouth seemed to spread the entire span of her head.
- The span of the Pacific Ocean, covered in fog, hints at the approach of winter.
- Fifty-four feet high, the mill has sails that cover a seventy-foot span.
Synonyms extent, full extent, length, width, reach, stretch, spread, distance, compass, range - 1.1 The length of time for which something lasts.
a short concentration span Example sentencesExamples - She talked constantly, wouldn't accept authority and had such a short span of attention that she'd probably wander off to make herself a coffee during the initial job interview.
- His star-studded career spans more than 50 years.
- He had lost three important things in a short span of a day.
- If you go back and look at the career of John Carpenter, you will find a remarkable string of artistic successes that stretched over a span of 12 years.
- These are men who, within the short span of three weeks, brought life, hope and joy to a leper colony, simply by offering handshakes.
- In a short span, they were on the ground level, facing the door to the street.
- I didn't have an answer because I didn't know myself and thankfully her concentration span was lacking at that point.
- His reign spans more than 40 years and it was during this time that a new civilization - a European civilization - came into existence.
- The authors recorded more than 235 interviews over a span of ten years.
- I have managed to find true friends within my short span, and I wish you the same sort of felicity.
- As you can see we managed to pull it off although I must say I've never before done a review in such a short span of time.
- Suddenly, in the span of a few short years, forests had become ‘indispensable’ not only to support industrial growth but for the sake of national security.
- The sky had opened up during the short span of time between my entering the lobby, picking up Rob, and going to leave again.
- I had learned a life lesson in the short span in which he'd been missing, and I wasn't planning on forgetting it anytime soon.
- His recording career at the piano spans more than 40 years.
- These are people who've packed seemingly 10 lifetimes into one normal span.
- I silently thanked my short concentration span for tuning in for the first few minutes at least.
- You are pregnant only for a short span of time my dear.
- In the span of 28 short minutes, the band races through 10 songs that are all maddeningly pleasant-sounding.
Synonyms period, space, time, duration, stretch, course, interval, season, term - 1.2 The wingspan of an aircraft or a bird.
Example sentencesExamples - Powerful wings spread a span of twenty feet and Jack had to step back to avoid being hit.
- Their wings stretched to a massive span of six feet.
- The wings of the Tupolev-designed plane had a span of more than sixty metres, the same as a Boeing 747's.
- Immense wings spread to more than the span of 2 metres in total length.
Synonyms extent, full extent, length, width, reach, stretch, spread, distance, compass, range - 1.3 An arch or part of a bridge between piers or supports.
Example sentencesExamples - Pretension stiffens cables against deflection, and fabric or foil, also pre-tensioned, can be used between the cables to create very large spans.
- The pipe-arch structure, a large space frame, is perhaps the most economical design for the wide span.
- Bal reached the middle of the bridge where the huge span was missing.
- The bridge design is unpretentious. It consists simply of two steel towers supporting a lift span.
- In the pre-industrial age, the structural form that was used for the widest spans was the masonry vault or dome.
- The raft had wedged itself up against the steel span of a collapsed bridge.
- The new span's design reflects the graceful arch of Folsom's 1916 Rainbow Bridge just upstream.
- He opted for a double-curved, reinforced, thin concrete shell structure which permitted major spans, without deformation.
- Without vaulting or trusses, Yemeni traditional architecture had to rely on the usable length of palm, acacia or tamarisk trunks for spans.
- Next year will see the start of the five-year $3billion replacement of the eastern span of the Bay Bridge.
- The Croatian bridge has a much smaller span, and does not have to rise for shipping, but its deck forms a real part of the spatial sequence of the city.
- But at the end of that year, on 28 December 1879, several spans collapsed in a severe storm while a train was crossing, sending 74 people to their deaths.
- However, as the spans increase it is possible to lay the decking in the vertical position and widen the beam or joist spacing.
- Officials first tried to limit the number of pedestrians on the bridge, but when that did not seem to help they decided to close the span to allow engineers to study the problem.
- More people die annually in Victoria on the road system, of which the West Gate Bridge is just one small span, than did in the accident that occurred during its construction in 1970.
- Wrought iron greatly multiplied the possibilities of tension: much wider roof spans than those offered by timber alone were now possible.
- Internally, the central span peaked on rounded trusses.
- Cast glass channels in extruded aluminum flames can be installed for long or tall spans without added supports.
- 1.4 The maximum distance between the tips of the thumb and little finger, taken as the basis of a measurement equal to 9 inches.
Example sentencesExamples - A good rule of thumb when buying or constructing a flight cage for large parrots is that the width should be twice the wingspan, plus a handspan.
- He held out an arm to show how the end of the sleeve hung two handspans below his knuckles.
- Lang's handspan covers 12 notes on the piano keyboard.
- 1.5archaic A short distance or time.
verbspænspan [with object]1(of a bridge, arch, etc.) extend from side to side of. the stream was spanned by a narrow bridge Example sentencesExamples - Bridges spanning the Chicago River provided a compelling motif for several painters in the exhibition.
- The first branch was spanned with a bridge and the second with a ford.
- The bridge spans the Lot river and offers a suggestion of French mediaeval military design.
- It is the first Thames crossing to be built in more than a century and the first pedestrian bridge to span the river.
- A bridge spanned the moat in front of the entrance.
- So the university commissioned a pedestrian bridge to span a hazardous street, uniting the residential tower with the rest of campus.
- If I get up from my office desk and walk across the room I can see in the distance the twin towers of the Severn Bridge spanning the Bristol Channel and behind them the first grey-green tracings of the landscape of Wales.
- One of the favorite sites in Schenectady, before it was torn down in 1874, was the covered bridge that spanned the Mohawk River.
- Charles Bridge spans the river and the lower neighbourhoods on either side, which gives pedestrians a unique opportunity to peer into third-storey apartments.
- We passed the occasional kamikaze truck driver hurtling down the narrow mountain roads; and forded green rivers that were spanned by metal bridges.
- According to a newspaper report, the first arch spanned the River Severn on 2nd July 1779.
- I love the palace gardens, taking walks to the pagodas, over bridges spanning lakes full of koi carp and under cherry blossom trees.
- The path turned to cross a small stone bridge spanning a stream.
- A bridge spans the moat from the gently sloping walk to the house entrance.
- An old wooden bridge spanned the gap that would allow us to head even further up the mountain.
- In addition to the bridge that spans a coastal landscape lined with seawalls, the city is circumscribed by walls and water.
- The entrance to the mysterious footbridge spanning Eighth Avenue is blocked by yet another security checkpoint.
- There was a causeway bridge which spanned the waterway a half a mile ahead.
- Suspended some 300 feet above a ravine, the footbridge would span a quarter mile between two mountains.
- Most people approach the museum across a bridge which spans railway and motorway.
Synonyms bridge, cross, traverse, pass over, arch over, vault over - 1.1 Extend across (a period of time or a range of subjects)
their interests span almost all the conventional disciplines Example sentencesExamples - The second volume spans the period from the Reformation to the railroads, which heralded Britain as the world's premier urban nation.
- After a silent moment that seemed to span an eternity, she turned to him again.
- It's also interesting to note that this is one of the few episodes that spans an extended period, covering at least several months in the single hour.
- Brokeback Mountain spans a time period of nearly twenty years.
- Fingerprints and facial appearance change over time, while iris texture remains unchanged for time periods spanning decades.
- The defining dates of the style generally span the last decades of the eighteenth century through the first quarter of the nineteenth century.
- Their intricate work sometimes spanned decades.
- A complete planning cycle should ideally span a period of about three to five years.
- The 464 black and white photographs taken between Spring 1982 and Fall 1993 span the period in which the Wall came down.
- As every student knows, the period of American history spanning the years 1896 to 1913 is known as the Golden Age Of Zweibel.
- Hers was a career that spanned some seven decades and, most of all, a life well lived.
- There are seven American Girl dolls in all, spanning a period from the American Revolution to the Second World War.
- Here, then is a festival of Woolrich films spanning seven decades and five countries.
- Three works by the Maestro spanning a twenty year period.
- In most cases, recovering money spent acquiring tech equipment will span several years.
- Using a combination of classified ads and informal networks, they interviewed surrogate candidates over a period spanning several years.
- Many stock analysts plot the daily net advances of the stock market in a graph that can span months or even years.
- For mile after mile of the book, spanning month upon month of so-called ‘action’, there is nothing but prose.
- The calendar itself spans a year, but can be extended.
- These illustrations are no more than indications of a range of possibilities spanning several centuries.
Synonyms extend over, last, stretch across, spread over, cover, range over, comprise, compass - 1.2 Cover or enclose with the length of one's hand.
her waist was slender enough for him to span with his hands
Origin Old English, ‘distance between the tips of the thumb and little finger’, of Germanic origin; reinforced in Middle English by Old French espan. nounspænspan 1Nautical
A rope with its ends fastened at different points to a spar or other object in order to provide a purchase. 2North American A matched pair of horses, mules, or oxen.
Origin Mid 16th century (as a verb): from Dutch or Low German spannen. The noun (originally in nautical use) dates from the mid 18th century. spanspæn non-standard, archaic |