[f. SPAN v.1] The action of measuring, bridging, etc., with a span.
1775. Ash, Suppl., Spanning, the act of measuring with a finger and thumb.
1883. Athenæum, 24 Nov., 662/3. Increasing skill in the spanning of wide roofs.
1909. Q. Rev., April, 344. The chasm yawned unspanned between us and the divine. A price, it is true, had to be paid for its spanning.
