English
Etymology
Middle English spone , "spoon, chip of wood", from Old English spón "sliver, chip of wood", from common Germanic *spē-nu-, derived from Proto-Indo-European *spē- "length of wood". Possible cognates include Greek σφήν (sphēn) "wedge".
Pronunciation
Noun
spoon (plural: spoons )
- an implement for eating or serving, a small bowl with a long straight handle (with a curved handle it is a ladle)
- an implement for stirring food while being prepared
- a person of low intelligence
Translations
- Bosnian: kašika f
- Chinese: 匙子
- Dutch: lepel m
- Finnish: lusikka (1)
- French: cuiller f, cuillère f
- German: Löffel m
- Greek: κουτάλι n
- Italian: cucchiaio m
- Japanese: スプーン (supūn)
- Korean: 숟가락
- Lithuanian: šaukštas m
- Portuguese: colher f
- Russian: ложка f (lozhka)
- Slovak: lyžica f (tablespoon), lyžička f (teaspoon) (1); varecha f, vareška f (2)
- Slovene: žlica f
- Spanish: cuchara f
- Swedish: sked
- Türkçe: kaşık
Derived terms
Verb
to spoon (spoons , past and past participle spooned , spooning )
- (of sailing vessels) to turn to port and starboard erratically for short periods of time, as a sailboat does when heading nearly into a wind that varies direction slightly
- (slang; late 19th-early 20th century; of people) to have a nervously ambivalent romantic rendez-vous, as young people had during the age of chaperones, from turning one's head toward and away from the other person as the sailing ship did
- (slang; late 20th century; of people) to lie nested together, in a manner reminiscent of stacked spoons; usually has a sexual connotation
Translations
Sailing terminology:
Ambivalent relationship:
Way of lying together:
See also
