inspan

English

Etymology

From in +‎ span.

Verb

inspan (third-person singular simple present inspans, present participle inspanning, simple past and past participle inspanned)

1. (transitive) To yoke (oxen).
   • 1917, H. Rider Haggard, Finished, Kessinger, published 2004, →ISBN, page 39:

     There was no time to inspan the oxen […]

   • 1924, Agatha Christie, The Man in the Brown Suit:

     He was trekking across country, and being anxious to arrive at his destination before the heat of the day he ordered his boys to inspan whilst it was still dark. They had some trouble in doing so, as the mules were very restive, but at last they managed it, and a start was made. The mules raced along like the wind, and when daylight came they saw why. In the darkness, the boys had inspanned a lion as the near wheeler.

2. To bring or force into service.

Antonyms

• outspan

Translations

yoke oxen

Afrikaans: inspan

Anagrams

• napsin, pinnas, snap in, snap-in, snapin, spanin

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

inspan

1. first-person singular dependent-clause present indicative of inspannen

Anagrams

• span in