Spear \Spear\, n. [OE. spere, AS. spere; akin to D. & G. speer,
OS. & OHS. sper, Icel. spj["o]r, pl., Dan. spaer, L. sparus.]
1. A long, pointed weapon, used in war and hunting, by
thrusting or throwing; a weapon with a long shaft and a
sharp head or blade; a lance.
Note: [See Illust. of Spearhead.] "A sharp ground spear."
--Chaucer.
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They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and
their spears into pruning hooks. --Micah iv. 3.
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2. Fig.: A spearman. --Sir W. Scott.
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3. A sharp-pointed instrument with barbs, used for stabbing
fish and other animals.
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4. A shoot, as of grass; a spire.
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5. The feather of a horse. See Feather, n., 4.
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6. The rod to which the bucket, or plunger, of a pump is
attached; a pump rod.
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Spear foot, the off hind foot of a horse.
Spear grass. (Bot.)
(a) The common reed. See Reed, n., 1.
(b) meadow grass. See under Meadow.
Spear hand, the hand in which a horseman holds a spear; the
right hand. --Crabb.
Spear side, the male line of a family. --Lowell.
Spear thistle (Bot.), the common thistle (Cnicus
lanceolatus).
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Thistle \This"tle\, n. [OE. thistil, AS. [thorn]istel; akin to
D. & G. distel, OHG. distila, distil, Icel. [thorn]istill,
Sw. tistel, Dan. tidsel; of uncertain origin.] (Bot.)
Any one of several prickly composite plants, especially those
of the genera Cnicus, Craduus, and Onopordon. The name
is often also applied to other prickly plants.
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Blessed thistle, Carduus benedictus, so named because it
was formerly considered an antidote to the bite of
venomous creatures.
Bull thistle, Cnicus lanceolatus, the common large
thistle of neglected pastures.
Canada thistle, Cnicus arvensis, a native of Europe, but
introduced into the United States from Canada.
Cotton thistle, Onopordon Acanthium.
Fuller's thistle, the teasel.
Globe thistle, Melon thistle, etc. See under Globe,
Melon, etc.
Pine thistle, Atractylis gummifera, a native of the
Mediterranean region. A vicid gum resin flows from the
involucre.
Scotch thistle, either the cotton thistle, or the musk
thistle, or the spear thistle; -- all used national
emblems of Scotland.
Sow thistle, Sonchus oleraceus.
Spear thistle. Same as Bull thistle.
Star thistle, a species of Centaurea. See Centaurea.
Torch thistle, a candelabra-shaped plant of the genus
Cereus. See Cereus.
Yellow thistle, Cincus horridulus.
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Thistle bird (Zool.), the American goldfinch, or
yellow-bird (Spinus tristis); -- so called on account of
its feeding on the seeds of thistles. See Illust. under
Goldfinch.
Thistle butterfly (Zool.), a handsomely colored American
butterfly (Vanessa cardui) whose larva feeds upon
thistles; -- called also painted lady.
Thistle cock (Zool.), the corn bunting (Emberiza
militaria). [Prov. Eng.]
Thistle crown, a gold coin of England of the reign of James
I., worth four shillings.
Thistle finch (Zool.), the goldfinch; -- so called from its
fondness for thistle seeds. [Prov. Eng.]
Thistle funnel, a funnel having a bulging body and flaring
mouth.
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