German word

Span

Pronunciation

IPA/ʃpaːn/

Meaning

  • masculine nounshaving

Example

Auf der Werkbank liegen viele Späne.

There are many shavings on the workbench.

Illustration for Span (shaving)

More examples

Eine regelmäßige Spanabfuhr erhöht die Sicherheit an der Maschine.

Regular chip removal improves safety around the machine.

Core concept

A thin curl or splinter peeled from wood or metal by a blade or plane.

Common phrases

  • Spanbildung

    chip formation

  • Spanabfuhr

    chip removal

Similar words

Holzspäne: Thin curls or splinters peeled from wood during cutting or planing.
Metallspäne: Thin curls or splinters peeled from metal during cutting or machining.

Definition in German

Kleines, beim Schneiden oder Hobeln entstehendes dünnes Stück Holz oder Metall.

Word origin

Span comes from Old High German spān through Middle High German span and referred to a small piece cut from a material.

Usage tips

  • The common plural is Späne, with an umlaut, and material compounds include Holzspäne and Metallspäne.

Other meanings

  • wood chipnoun

Related words

  • Spanabfuhrchip removalnoun
  • Spanbildungchip formationnoun

Word lists with this word