Spear

Spear
Recorded in the spellings of Spear, Sperr, Spere, Spary, Sperry, Spier, Spearman, and others, this is a surname of both Olde English pre 7th century and later Anglo-Saxon pre 9th Century origins. In its various forms it is recorded equally in both the United Kingdom and Germany. It is either a job descriptive surname for a professional hunter or of a soldier proficient with a spear. An alternative is a maker of spears, or sometimes as a descriptive nickname for a tall, thin person, one who resembled a spear! The plural spellings, such as Spears, Speares, etc, can indicate either a patronymic "son of Spere" or as a derivative of the French "espier"', meaning a watchman, one who probably carried a spear. The early recordings taken from the medieval charters and rolls include Henry Spere in Lancashire, England, in the year 1246, Conrad Sperr of Offenburg, Germany, in 1359, and Robertus Spyer in the 1379 Poll Tax rolls of Yorkshire, England. Later recordings include Annes Spere, christened at St. Giles church, Cripplegate, London, on March 1st 1591, Hester Sperry, originally christened Sparry, who married Thomas Davis at St James church, Duke Street, London, on July 14th 1696, and Edward Spary, a witness at St Pancras Old Church, London, on December 24th 1786. The first recorded spelling of the family name in any form is shown to be that of Walter Speare, which was dated 1185, in the pipe rolls of the county of Somerset. This was during the reign of King Henry 11of England, known as 'The church builder', 1154 - 1189. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Spear — Spear, n. [OE. spere, AS. spere; akin to D. & G. speer, OS. & OHS. sper, Icel. spj[ o]r, pl., Dan. sp[ae]r, 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Spear — bezeichnet: das englische Wort für Speer (siehe auch Speer (Begriffsklärung)) Spear Spiele, einen ehemaligen deutsch englischen Spieleverlag eine Kampfsporttechnik, siehe Liste der Wrestling Kampftechniken #Spear als Familienname: Allan Spear… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • spear — [spir] n. [ME spere < OE (akin to Ger speer) < IE base * sper > SPAR2, L sparus] 1. a weapon consisting of a long wooden shaft with a sharp point, usually of metal or stone, for thrusting or throwing 2. any spearlike, often forked,… …   English World dictionary

  • Spear — Spear, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Speared}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Spearing}.] To pierce with a spear; to kill with a spear; as, to spear a fish. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Spear — est un éditeur de jeux de société appartenant au groupe Mattel et basé en Grande Bretagne. En France, Spear est surtout connu pour avoir longtemps été l éditeur du Scrabble. Quelques jeux édités Scrabble, 1960 (VF), Alfred Mosher Butts… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Spear — Spear, v. i. To shoot into a long stem, as some plants. See {Spire}. Mortimer. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • spear — ► NOUN 1) a weapon with a pointed metal tip and a long shaft, used for thrusting or throwing. 2) a plant shoot, especially a pointed stem of asparagus or broccoli. 3) (before another noun ) denoting the male side or members of a family. Compare… …   English terms dictionary

  • spear — index penetrate, pierce (lance) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • spear|y — «SPIHR ee», adjective. spearlike; sharp pointed …   Useful english dictionary

  • Spear — A spear is a pole weapon used for hunting and war, consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a sharpened head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be of another material… …   Wikipedia

  • spear — spear1 spearer, n. /spear/, n. 1. a long, stabbing weapon for thrusting or throwing, consisting of a wooden shaft to which a sharp pointed head, as of iron or steel, is attached. 2. a soldier or other person armed with such a weapon; spearman: an …   Universalium

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