different between space vs sweep

English

Etymology

From Middle English space, from Anglo-Norman space, variant of espace, espas et al., and Old French spaze, variant of espace, from Latin spatium, from Proto-Indo-European *speh?- 'to stretch, to pull'.

Pronunciation

• enPR: sp?s, IPA^(key): /spe?s/
• Hyphenation: space
• Rhymes: -e?s

Noun

space (countable and uncountable, plural spaces)

1. (heading) Of time.
   1. (now rare, archaic) Free time; leisure, opportunity. [from 14^thc.]
   2. A specific (specified) period of time. [from 14^thc.]
      • 1893, Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman, Giles Corey

        I pray you, sirs, to take some cheers the while I go for a moment's space to my poor afflicted child.

      • 2007, Andy Bull, The Guardian, 20 October:

        The match was lost, though, in the space of just twenty minutes or so.
   3. An undefined period of time (without qualifier, especially a short period); a while. [from 15^thc.]
      • 1923, PG Wodehouse, The Inimitable Jeeves

        Even Comrade Butt cast off his gloom for a space and immersed his whole being in scrambled eggs.

2. (heading) Unlimited or generalized extent, physical or otherwise.
   1. Distance between things. [from 14^thc.]
      • 2001, Sam Wollaston, The Guardian, 3 November:

        Which means that for every car there was 10 years ago, there are now 40. Which means - and this is my own, not totally scientific, calculation - that the space between cars on the roads in 1991 was roughly 39 car lengths, because today there is no space at all.

   2. Physical extent across two or three dimensions; area, volume (sometimes for or to do something). [from 14^thc.]
      • 2007, Dominic Bradbury, The Guardian, 12 May:

        They also wanted a larger garden and more space for home working.

   3. Physical extent in all directions, seen as an attribute of the universe (now usually considered as a part of space-time), or a mathematical model of this. [from 17^thc.]
      • 1656, Thomas Hobbes, Elements of Philosophy, II

        Space is the Phantasme of a Thing existing without the Mind simply.

      • 1880, Popular Science, August:

        These are not questions which can be decided by reference to our space intuitions, for our intuitions are confined to Euclidean space, and even there are insufficient, approximative.

      • 2007, Anushka Asthana & David Smith, The Observer, 15 April:

        The early results from Gravity Probe B, one of Nasa's most complicated satellites, confirmed yesterday 'to a precision of better than 1 per cent' the assertion Einstein made 90 years ago - that an object such as the Earth does indeed distort the fabric of space and time.

   4. The near-vacuum in which planets, stars and other celestial objects are situated; the universe beyond the earth's atmosphere; outer space. [from 17^thc.]
      • 1901, HG Wells, The First Men in the Moon:

        After all, to go into outer space is not so much worse, if at all, than a polar expedition.

      • 2010, The Guardian, 9 August:

        The human race must colonise space within the next two centuries or it will become extinct, Stephen Hawking warned today.

   5. The physical and psychological area one needs within which to live or operate; personal freedom. [from 20^thc.]
      • 1996, Linda Brodkey, Writing Permitted in Designated Areas Only:

        Around the time of my parents' divorce, I learned that reading could also give me space.

      • 2008, Jimmy Treigle, Walking on Water

        "I care about you Billy, whether you believe it or not; but right now I need my space."

3. (heading) A bounded or specific extent, physical or otherwise.
   1. A (chiefly empty) area or volume with set limits or boundaries. [from 14^thc.]

      • Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers, […]. Even such a boat as the Mount Vernon offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question, even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either.

      • 2000, Ziba Mir-Hosseini, Islam and Gender

        The street door was open, and we entered a narrow space with washing facilities, curtained off from the courtyard.

      • 2012, Charlotte Higgins, The Guardian, 16 July:

        Converted from vast chambers beneath the old Bankside Power Station which once held a million gallons of oil, the new public areas consist of two large circular spaces for performances and film installations, plus a warren of smaller rooms.

   2. (music) A position on the staff or stave bounded by lines. [from 15^thc.]
      • 1849, John Pyke Hullah, translating Guillaume Louis Bocquillon-Wilhem, Wilhelm's Method of Teaching Singing

        The note next above Sol is La; La, therefore, stands in the 2nd space; Si, on the 3rd line, &c.

      • 1990, Sammy Nzioki, Music Time

        The lines and spaces of the staff are named according to the first seven letters of the alphabet, that is, A B C D E F G.

   3. A gap in text between words, lines etc., or a digital character used to create such a gap. [from 16^thc.]
      • 1992, Sam H Ham, Environmental Interpretation

        According to experts, a single line of text should rarely exceed about 50 characters (including letters and all the spaces between words).

      • 2005, Dr BR Kishore, Dynamic Business Letter Writing:

        It should be typed a space below the salutation : Dear Sir, Subject : Replacement of defective items.

   4. (letterpress typography) A piece of metal type used to separate words, cast lower than other type so as not to take ink, especially one that is narrower than one en (compare quad). [from 17^thc.]
      • 1683, Joseph Moxon, Mechanick Exercises: Or, the Doctrine of Handy-Works. Applied to the art of Printing., v.2, pp.240–1:

        If it be only a Single Letter or two that drops, he thru?ts the end of his Bodkin between every Letter of that Word, till he comes to a Space: and then perhaps by forcing tho?e Letters closer, he may have room to put in another Space or a Thin Space; which if he cannot do, and he finds the Space ?tand Loo?e in the Form; he with the Point of his Bodkin picks the Space up and bows it a little; which bowing makes the Letters on each ?ide of the Space keep their parallel di?tance; for by its Spring it thru?ts the Letters that were clo?ed with the end of the Bodkin to their adjunct Letters, that needed no clo?ing.

      • 1979, Marshall Lee, Bookmaking, p.110:

        Horizontal spacing is further divided into multiples and fractions of the em. The multiples are called quads. The fractions are called spaces.

      • 2005, Phil Baines and Andrew Haslam, Type & Typography, 2nd ed., p.91:

        Other larger spaces – known as quads – were used to space out lines.

   5. A gap; an empty place. [from 17^thc.]
      • 2004, Harry M Benshoff (ed.), Queer Cinéma

        Mainstream Hollywood would not cater to the taste for sexual sensation, which left a space for B-movies, including noir.

      • 2009, Barbara L. Lev, From Pink to Green

        A horizontal scar filled the space on her chest where her right breast used to be.

   6. (geometry) A set of points, each of which is uniquely specified by a number (the dimensionality) of coordinates.
   7. (countable, mathematics) A generalized construct or set whose members have some property in common; typically there will be a geometric metaphor allowing these members to be viewed as "points". Often used with a restricting modifier describing the members (e.g. vector space), or indicating the inventor of the construct (e.g. Hilbert space). [from 20^thc.]

   8. (countable, figuratively) A marketplace for goods or services.

Quotations

• For more quotations using this term, see Citations:space.

Synonyms

• (free time): leisure time, spare time
• (specific period of time): duration, span; see also Thesaurus:period
• (undefined period of time): spell, while; see also Thesaurus:uncertain period
• (distance between things): break, gap; see also Thesaurus:interspace
• (intervening contents of a volume): volume
• (space occupied by or intended for a person or thing): room, volume
• (area or volume of sufficient size to accommodate a person or thing): place, spot, volume
• (area beyond the atmosphere of planets that consists of a vacuum): outer space
• (gap between written characters): blank, gap, whitespace (graphic design)
• (metal type): quad, quadrat
• (set of points each uniquely specified by a set of coordinates):
• (personal freedom to think or be oneself):
• (state of mind one is in when daydreaming):
• (generalized construct or set in mathematics):
• (one of the five basic elements in Indian philosophy): ether

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

Punctuation

Verb

space (third-person singular simple present spaces, present participle spacing, simple past and past participle spaced)

1. (obsolete, intransitive) To roam, walk, wander.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, IV.ii:

     But she as Fayes are wont, in priuie place / Did spend her dayes, and lov'd in forests wyld to space.

2. (transitive) To set some distance apart.

   Faye had spaced the pots at 8-inch intervals on the windowsill.

   The cities are evenly spaced.

3. To insert or utilise spaces in a written text.

   This paragraph seems badly spaced.

4. (transitive, science fiction) To eject into outer space, usually without a space suit.

   The captain spaced the traitors.
5. (intransitive, science fiction) To travel into and through outer space.

Derived terms

• spaced
• spaced-out
• unspace

Translations

Related terms

• espace
• spacious
• spatial

References

• space on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• -scape, EAPCs, EPACs, a-spec, aspec, capes, paces, scape

Old French

Noun

space m (oblique plural spaces, nominative singular spaces, nominative plural space)

1. Alternative form of espace

English

Etymology

From Middle English swepen, and perhaps from Old English sw?op, the past tense form of Old English sw?pan, from Proto-West Germanic *swaipan, from Proto-Germanic *swaipan?. Cognate with Early Modern West Frisian swiepe (“whip, cleanse, sweep”), from Old Frisian sw?pa, suepa (“sweep”). See also swoop.

Pronunciation

• enPR: sw?p, IPA^(key): /swi?p/
• Rhymes: -i?p

Verb

sweep (third-person singular simple present sweeps, present participle sweeping, simple past and past participle swept)

1. (transitive) To clean (a surface) by means of a stroking motion of a broom or brush.

   • I will sweep it with the besom of destruction.

2. (intransitive) To move through a (horizontal) arc or similar long stroke.
   • 2005, Lesley Brown (translator), Sophist by Plato, 236d:

     [H]as the course of the argument so accustomed you to agreeing that you were swept by it into a ready assent?

3. (transitive) To search (a place) methodically.
4. (intransitive, figuratively) To travel quickly.
5. (cricket) To play a sweep shot.
6. (curling) To brush the ice in front of a moving stone, causing it to travel farther and to curl less.
7. (transitive, ergative) To move something in a long sweeping motion, as a broom.
8. (sports, transitive) To win (a series) without drawing or losing any of the games in that series.
9. (sports, transitive) To defeat (a team) in a series without drawing or losing any of the games in that series.
10. (transitive) To remove something abruptly and thoroughly.
11. To brush against or over; to rub lightly along.

    Their long descending train, / With rubies edg'd and sapphires, swept the plain.

    • Mind you, clothes were clothes in those days. […]  Frills, ruffles, flounces, lace, complicated seams and gores: not only did they sweep the ground and have to be held up in one hand elegantly as you walked along, but they had little capes or coats or feather boas.

12. To carry with a long, swinging, or dragging motion; hence, to carry in a stately or proud fashion.
13. To strike with a long stroke.
14. (rowing) To row with one oar to either the port or starboard side.
15. (nautical) To draw or drag something over.

16. To pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation.

17. (US, regional, including Ohio and Indiana) to vacuum a carpet or rug

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

sweep (plural sweeps)

1. A single action of sweeping.

2. The person who steers a dragon boat.
3. A person who stands at the stern of a surf boat, steering with a steering oar and commanding the crew.
4. A chimney sweep.
5. A methodical search, typically for bugs (electronic listening devices).
6. (cricket) A batsman's shot, played from a kneeling position with a swinging horizontal bat.

7. A lottery, usually on the results of a sporting event, where players win if their randomly chosen team wins.

8. A flow of water parallel to shore caused by wave action at an ocean beach or at a point or headland.
9. (martial arts) A throw or takedown that primarily uses the legs to attack an opponent's legs.
10. Violent and general destruction.

11. (metalworking) A movable templet for making moulds, in loam moulding.
12. (card games) In the game casino, the act of capturing all face-up cards from the table.
13. The compass of any turning body or of any motion.

14. Direction or departure of a curve, a road, an arch, etc. away from a rectilinear line.
15. A large oar used in small vessels, partly to propel them and partly to steer them.
16. (rowing) A rowing style in which each rower rows with oar on either the port or starboard side.

17. (refining, obsolete) The almond furnace.
18. A long pole, or piece of timber, moved on a horizontal fulcrum fixed to a tall post and used to raise and lower a bucket in a well for drawing water.
19. Any of the blades of a windmill.
20. (in the plural) The sweepings of workshops where precious metals are worked, containing filings, etc.
21. Any of several sea chubs in the family Kyphosidae (subfamily Scorpidinae).
    • 1993, Tim Winton, Land's Edge, Picador 2014, p. 28:

      Octopus clambered about from hole to hole and startled sweep blurred away as we passed.

22. An expanse or a swath, a strip of land.

Derived terms

Translations

References

• sweep in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• “sweep”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

Anagrams

• weeps

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch zweep, from Middle Dutch swepe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sv???p/

Noun

sweep (plural swepe, diminutive swepie)

1. A whip.

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English sweep.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /?swip/

Noun

sweep m (plural sweeps)

1. (electric guitar) sweep (arpeggio played with a single movement of the picking hand)