different between spaz vs spay

English

Alternative forms

• spazz

Etymology

From spastic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spæz/

Noun

spaz (plural spazzes)

1. (slang, derogatory, offensive) A stupid or incompetent person.
   • 1981, Stephen King, The Jaunt

     In fact, it was the view of the scientists now in charge […] that the freakier they were, the better; if a mental spaz could go through and come out all right […] then the process was probably safe for the executives, politicians, and fashion models of the world.

   • 2006, Tiger Woods:

     “I was so in control from tee to green, the best I’ve played for years… But as soon as I got on the green I was a spaz.”

2. (slang, derogatory, offensive) A hyperactive person.
3. (slang, derogatory, offensive) A tantrum, a fit.

Usage notes

The offensiveness of this term and of spastic differs somewhat between the US and the UK. In the UK, they are very offensive. The term is more commonly used in the U.S. but is still offensive to many in the disability community. See spastic for more.

Related terms

• spack
• spastic

Translations

See also

• retard
• tard

Verb

spaz (third-person singular simple present spazzes, present participle spazzing, simple past and past participle spazzed)

1. (slang, derogatory, offensive) To have a tantrum or fit.
2. (slang) To malfunction, go on the fritz.

Usage notes

The sense “to malfunction” is the only sense that is not insulting to the object, and is cognate to spasm (compare seize up), but still may cause offense due to connections with spastic.

Synonyms

• (have a tantrum): freak out

Translations

References

Anagrams

• zaps

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English spayen, spaien, from the Anglo-Norman espeier, equivalent to the Old French espeer (“to cut with a sword”), from espee (“sword”), whence the Modern French épée.

Alternative forms

• spaie [16th C.]
• spave (archaic)
• spaye [16th–17th CC.]

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: sp?, IPA^(key): /spe?/
• Rhymes: -e?

Verb

spay (third-person singular simple present spays, present participle spaying, simple past spayed, past participle spayed or (obsolete) spade)

1. (transitive) To remove or destroy the ovaries and/or uterus (of an animal) so that it cannot become pregnant.

Synonyms

• castrate, emasculate (for a male)
• geld (used almost always of animals, especially male horses)
• neuter (used only of animals, especially pets)
• sterilize (used for all species and for both genders)

Translations

References

• “spay, v.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]

Etymology 2

See spayard.

Noun

spay (plural spays)

1. Rare spelling of spayard.

References

• “spay” listed as a variant spelling of “spaya(?)d, spayd”, listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]

Etymology 3

Verb

spay (third-person singular simple present spays, present participle spaying, simple past and past participle spayed)

1. Alternative form of spae (to foretell or divine)

Anagrams

• APYs, AsPy, Pays, aspy, pays, pyas, yaps

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch speye; compare Middle Dutch spoye.

Alternative forms

• spey, speye

Noun

spay (plural spayes)

1. sluice

References

• “†spay, n.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]

Etymology 2

See spayen.

Verb

spay (third-person singular simple present spayeth, present participle spayinge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle spaied)

1. alternative infinitive of spayen.

References

• “spay, v.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]

Scots

Etymology

From Northern Middle English sp?, from Old Norse spá (“to foretell, prophesy”), from Proto-Germanic *spah?n?, *speh?n? (“to observe”), from Proto-Indo-European *spe?- (“to look”). Cognate with Old High German speh?n (“to peer, spy”) (whence German spähen), Middle Dutch spien, spieden (“to spy”) (whence Dutch spieden). More at spy.

Noun

spay (plural spays)

1. A prophecy; omen

Verb

spay (third-person singular present spays, present participle spayin, past spayed, past participle spayed)

1. Alternative form of spae