[sprɛd], (Verb)

Definitions:
- open out (something) so as to extend its surface area, width, or length
(e.g: I spread a towel on the sand and sat down)

- extend over a large or increasing area
(e.g: rain over north-west Scotland will spread south-east during the day)

- apply (a substance) to an object or surface in an even layer
(e.g: he sighed, spreading jam on a croissant)

- lay (a table) for a meal


Phrases:
- spread oneself too thin

Origin:
Old English -sprǣdan (used in combinations), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch spreiden and German spreiten

[sprɛd], (Noun)

Definitions:
- the fact or process of spreading over an area
(e.g: warmer temperatures could help reduce the spread of the disease)

- the extent, width, or area covered by something
(e.g: the male's antlers can attain a spread of six feet)

- the range or variety of something
(e.g: a wide spread of ages)

- a soft paste that can be applied in a layer to bread or other food
(e.g: low-fat spreads)

- an article or advertisement covering several columns or pages of a newspaper or magazine, especially one on two facing pages
(e.g: a double-page spread)

- a large and impressively elaborate meal
(e.g: his mother laid on a huge spread)

- a bedspread
(e.g: a patchwork spread)


Phrases:
- spread oneself too thin

Origin:
Old English -sprǣdan (used in combinations), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch spreiden and German spreiten