"kept in reserve, not used, provided or held for extra need," late 14c., from or from the same root as spare (v.). Old English had sp?r "sparing, frugal." Also compare Old Norse sparr "(to be) spared." In reference to time, from mid-15c.; sense of "lacking in substance; lean, gaunt; flimsy, thin; poor," is recorded from 1540s. Spare part is attested from 1888. Spare tire is from 1894 of bicycles; 1903 of automobiles; 1961 of waistlines.
spare (v.)
Old English sparian "to refrain from harming, be indulgent to, allow to go free; use sparingly," from the source of Old English sp?r "sparing, frugal," from Proto-Germanic *sparaz (cognates: Old Saxon sparon, Old Frisian sparia, Old Norse spara, Dutch sparen, Old High German sparon, German sparen "to spare"). Meaning "to dispense from one's own stock, give or yield up," is recorded from early 13c. Related: Spared; sparing.
spare (n.)
"extra thing or part," 1640s, from spare (adj.). The Middle English noun sense was "a sparing, mercy, leniency" (early 14c.). Bowling game sense of "an advantage gained by a knocking down of all pins in two bowls" is attested from 1843, American English.
雙語例句
1. In her spare time she read books on cooking.
業(yè)余時間里她看一些烹飪方面的書籍。
來自柯林斯例句
2. He spends his spare time visiting schools to warn pupils off drugs.
他用自己的業(yè)余時間訪問學(xué)校，告誡小學(xué)生遠(yuǎn)離毒品。
來自柯林斯例句
3. She was thin and spare, with a sharply intelligent face.
她又高又瘦，一副精明過人的模樣。
來自柯林斯例句
4. They've never had anything spare — they've always used it all.
他們從沒有任何備用的東西——他們總是把什么都用得一干二凈。
來自柯林斯例句
5. In the future the machines will need spare parts and maintenance.