Definition of SPADE

spade

Plural: spades

Noun

  • a playing card in the major suit that has one or more black figures on it
    • "she led a low spade"
    • "spades were trumps"
  • a sturdy hand shovel that can be pushed into the earth with the foot
  • (ethnic slur) extremely offensive name for a Black person
  • A garden tool with a handle and a flat blade for digging. Not to be confused with a shovel which is used for moving earth or other materials.
  • A cutting instrument used in flensing a whale.
  • A device for terminating an electrical conductor resembling a small spade.
  • A playing card marked with the symbol ♠.
  • A black person.

Verb

Verb Forms: spaded, spading, spades

  • To dig or remove with a spade, a digging tool.
  • dig (up) with a spade
    • "I spade compost into the flower beds"
  • To turn over soil with a spade to loosen the ground for planting.
  • simple past and past participle of spay

Examples

  • He had to spade out a new opening on the board to place his long word.
  • I've got only one spade in my hand.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English spade, from Old English spada, spade, spadu (“spade”), from Proto-Germanic *spadô. Doublet of spatha, spathe, and épée.

Synonyms

coon, jigaboo, nigga, nigger, nigra

Scrabble Score: 8

spade: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
spade: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
spade: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

spade: valid Words With Friends Word