Webster's English Dictionary

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span

1. span \'span\  archaic past of SPIN 
2. span n [ME, fr. OE spann; akin to OHG spanna span, MD spannen to 
   str]etch, hitch up, L pendere to weigh, Gk span to draw, pull 1: the 
   distance from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger o f a 
   spread hand; also : an English unit of length equal to 9 inches 2: an 
   extent, stretch, reach, or spread between two limits : as  2a: a limited 
   space of time  2b: spread or extent between abutments or supports; also : 
   the port ion thus extended 3: the amount grasped in a single mental 
   performance  4: the maximum distance laterally from tip to tip of an 
   airplane 
3. span vt or spanned;  or span.ning 1a: to measure by or as if by the hand 
   with fingers and thumb extended  1b: MEASURE  2a: to reach or extend across 
    2b: to place or construct a span over 
4. span n [D, fr. MD, fr. spannen to hitch up] : a pair of animals (as 
   mules) usu. matched in looks and action and driven  together