Also 6–7 spred. [f. prec.]
1. Extended, expanded; displayed; diffused.
c. 1511. 1st Eng. Bk. Amer. (Arb.), Introd. p. xxxi/2. They seke the holy graue to Iherusalem with open or spred baners.
1609. Holland, Amm. Marcell., 111. Antoninus … set his course against our State and Common-wealth … even with spred and full sail.
1611. Cotgr., s.v. Penne, The spread wings of a bird.
1667. Milton, P. L., II. 886. A Bannerd Host Under spread Ensigns marching.
1753. Richardson, Grandison (1781), III. 7. No, Miss Grandison, said I, laying my spread hand upon the letter.
1771. Encycl. Brit., I. 204/2. The shape of a spread fan.
1854. Poultry Chron., II. 56. The cock, while playing, sweeps the ground with his spread tail.
1877. Raymond, Statist. Mines & Mining, 315. A diverging vein-system … something like the spread fingers of a hand held downward.
b. In predicative use, or with qualifying words.
1626. Bacon, Sylva, § 421. How to make the trees themselves, more tall; more spread; than they use to be.
1691. Ray, Creation (1714), 214. Lofty and towring Trees for Timber, lowly and more spread ones for shade and fruit.
1693. C. Mather, Wonders Invis. World (1862), 16. In so spread a Business as this.
1847. Helps, Friends in C., I. iv. 64. I think one of the causes sometimes given, that reading is more spread, is a true … one.
1855. Orr’s Circ. Sci., Inorg. Nat., 162. Others … occupy evenly spread and little disturbed districts.
c. In comb. with -out.
1867. Morris, Jason, XVII. 520. Watching the spread-out linen slowly dry.
1877. Huxley & Martin, Elem. Biol., 209. A V-shaped notch about the size of a spread-out frog’s web.
2. Laid out or prepared for a meal.
1891. T. Hardy, Tess, xxxvi. The spread supper-table, whereon stood the two full glasses of untasted wine.
3. Special collocations: spread adder, a blowing adder; spread brilliant, a brilliant cut in a thin flat form; spread charge, a gun-charge that scatters on being fired.
1750. D. Jeffries, Treat. Diamonds (1751), 26. Of the method of manufacturing, and valuing, spread Brilliants.
1892. in Greener, Breech-Loader, 279. I have used the spread charge with good results in covert shooting.
1902. Blackw. Mag., April, 494/2. The spread-adder is one of the nastiest-looking customers to be met with.
b. Spread (window) glass, sheet or cylinder glass.
1805. Act 45 Geo. III., c. 30. Sched., The making of spread window glass commonly called or known by the name of broad glass.
1839. Ure, Dict. Arts, 576. Next to it in cheapness of material may be ranked broad or spread window glass. Ibid., 578. A spread-glass work, where they make British sheet glass, upon the best principles.
