[f. SPACE v. + -ER1.]
1. A device or piece of mechanism for spacing words; a piece of metal, etc., for making a space, interval or division.
1884. Knight, Dict. Mech., Suppl. 911/2. By touching now the justifying-key, he caused the spacer to draw the line into another part of the [type-composing] machine to be justified.
1904. in Cent. Dict. Suppl., s.v., These ventilating spaces are obtained by means of metal spacers.
2. One who or that which spaces, or allows space, in a particular manner.
1888. Encycl. Brit., XXIV. 698/2. It [the cylindrical type-writing machine] is a variable spacer, giving more space to … m and w than to … i, t, and l.
