spar

Etymology 1

From Middle English sparre (“spar, rafter, beam”) (noun), sparren (“to close, bar”) (verb), from Middle Dutch sparre or Middle Low German Sparre, all ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sparrô (“stake, beam”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)par- (“beam, log”). Compare Dutch spar (“balk”), German Sparren (“rafter, spar”), Danish sparre (“spar”), Albanian shparr, shpardh (“kind of oak”). Perhaps also compare spear.

noun

1. A rafter of a roof.
2. A thick pole or piece of wood.
3. (obsolete) A bar of wood used to fasten a door.
4. (nautical) Any linear object used as a mast, sprit, yard, boom, pole or gaff.
5. (aeronautics) A beam-like structural member that supports ribs in an aircraft wing or other airfoil.

verb

1. (obsolete or dialectal) To bolt, bar.
2. (transitive) To supply or equip (a vessel) with spars.

Etymology 2

From Middle English sparren (“to dart out; to strike out”), from Old English sperran, spirran, spyrran (“to strike, strike out at, spar”), related to Low German sparre (“a struggling, striving”), German sich sperren (“to struggle, resist, oppose”), Icelandic sperrast (“to kick out at, thrust, struggle”). The slang sense of friend is probably from the phrase sparring partner under the influence of the similar slang words par and star.

verb

1. To fight, especially as practice for martial arts or hand-to-hand combat.
   After early sparring, Spurs started to take control as the interval approached and twice came close to taking the lead. Terry blocked Rafael van der Vaart's header on the line and the same player saw his cross strike the post after Adebayor was unable to apply a touch. April 15, 2012, Phil McNulty, “Tottenham 1-5 Chelsea”, in BBC
2. To strike with the feet or spurs, as cocks do.
3. To contest in words; to wrangle.

noun

1. A sparring session; a preliminary fight, as in boxing or cock-fighting.
2. (MLE) A friend, a mate, a pal.
   KLASHNEKOFF: I take two glass then pass the spliff to my spars. 2002, “No Escape” (track 23), in It's All Happening Now, performed by Lewis Parker (musician), Klashnekoff, and Skriblah Dan Gogh
   'Ello clart! How are you doin' spar? Let's have a look at your mobile phone there, that's fuckin' posh, innit?[…]that's fuckin' safe, spar! 2003, “Soap Bar”, in The Manifesto, performed by Goldie Looking Chain
   I don't care if you got friends in your car. Light up your whip and all of your spars. 2009-03-17, “Next Hype” (track 3), in All-Star Pars, performed by Tempa T
   Trying to explain to my spars how it is over a spliff. Arguing, cause the media got 'em locked under their lids. 2014-09-12, “September 12th”performed by S.Kalibre

Etymology 3

From Middle Low German spar, sper (“spar”); or from a backformation of sparstone (“spar”), from Middle English sparston (“gypsum, chalk”), from Old English spærstān (“gypsum”). Related to German Sparkalk (“plaster”), Old English spæren (“of plaster, of mortar”).

noun

1. (mineralogy) Any of various microcrystalline minerals, of light, translucent, or transparent appearance, which are easily cleft.
2. (mineralogy) Any crystal with readily discernible faces.