Word: spread Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English spreden, from Old English sprǣdan (“to spread, expand”), from Proto-Germanic *spraidijaną (“to spread”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- (“to strew, sow, sprinkle”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian spreede (“to spread”), West Frisian spriede (“to spread”), North Frisian spriedjen (“to spread”), Dutch spreiden (“to spread”), Low German spreden (“to spread”), German spreiten (“to spread, spread out”), Danish sprede (“to spread”), Norwegian spre, spreie (“to spread, disseminate”), Swedish sprida (“to spread”), Latin spernō, spargō, Ancient Greek σπείρω (speírō), Persian سپردن (sepordan, “to deposit”), English spurn. Pronunciation: /spɹɛd/ 1. To stretch out, open out (a material etc.) so that it more fully covers a given area of space. Labels: transitive Example: He spread his newspaper on the table. 2. To extend (individual rays, limbs etc.); to stretch out in varying or opposing directions. simple past and past participle of spread Labels: transitive Example: I spread my arms wide and welcomed him home. 3. To disperse, to scatter or distribute over a given area. Labels: transitive Example: I spread the rice grains evenly over the floor. 4. To proliferate; to become more widely present, to be disseminated. Labels: intransitive Example: Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine.[…]One thing that is true, though, is that murder rates have fallen over the centuries, as policing has spread and the routine carrying of weapons has diminished. Modern society may not have done anything about war. But peace is a lot more peaceful. Example: As the Erzurum affair indicated, the janissaries in the provinces and in the capital city were in close touch, and thus the movements were quick to spread to Istanbul. 5. To disseminate; to cause to proliferate, to make (something) widely known or present. Labels: transitive Example: The missionaries quickly spread their new message across the country. 6. To take up a larger area or space; to expand, be extended. Labels: intransitive Example: I dropped my glass; the water spread quickly over the tiled floor. 7. To smear, to distribute in a thin layer. Labels: transitive Example: She liked to spread butter on her toast while it was still hot. 8. To cover (something) with a thin layer of some substance, as of butter. Labels: transitive Example: He always spreads his toast with peanut butter and strawberry jam. 9. To prepare; to set and furnish with provisions. Example: to spread a table Example: And Enid brought sweet cakes to make them cheer, / And in her veil enfolded, manchet bread. / And then, because their hall must also serve / For kitchen, boil'd the flesh, and spread the board, / And stood behind, and waited on the three. 10. To open one’s legs, especially for sexual favours. Labels: intransitive, slang Example: This often sounds like the rap of a demented DJ: the way she moves has got to be good news, can't get loose till I feel the juice— suck and spread, bitch, yeah bounce for me baby. Example: Yes I wore a slinky red thing. Does that mean I should spread for you, your friends, your father, Mr Ed?