spray

A spray can spraying (#2)

A spray can (#3)

• IPA^(key): /spɹeɪ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪ

From Middle Dutch sprāien, sprayen, spraeyen (“to spray, sprinkle, spread”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sprēwijaną (“to spray, sprinkle”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- (“to sow, scatter”).

Cognate with Middle High German spræjen, spræwen (“to squirt, spray, dust, splash, straw”), Danish dialectal språe (“to open up, burst forth”), Swedish dialectal språ (“to sprout, shoot forth, burst”), Norwegian dialectal spra, spræ (“to splash, splatter, spout, burst forth”), Dutch sproeien (“to spray, sprinkle”), German sprühen (“to spray, sparkle”).

spray (countable and uncountable, plural sprays)

1. A fine, gentle, dispersed mist of liquid.

   The sailor could feel the spray from the waves.

   • 1952, Nikos Kazantzakis, chapter 1, in Carl Wildman, transl., Zorba the Greek, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, translation of Βίος και πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά [Víos kai politeía tou Aléxi Zormpá], →ISBN, page 3:

     A strong sirocco was blowing the spray from the waves as far as the little café, whose glass doors were shut. The café reeked of brewing sage and human beings whose breath steamed the windows because of the cold outside.

2. (figuratively) Something resembling a spray of liquid.
   • 1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Soldier in White”, in Catch-22 , New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 171:

     Nurse Cramer had a cute nose and a radiant, blooming complexion dotted with fetching sprays of adorable freckles that Yossarian detested.

3. (countable) A pressurized container; an atomizer.

   Synonym: spray can

4. (countable) Any of numerous commercial products, including paints, cosmetics, and insecticides, that are dispensed from containers in this manner.

   Synonym: spray can

5. (medicine, countable) A jet of fine medicated vapour, used either as an application to a diseased part or to charge the air of a room with a disinfectant or a deodorizer.
6. (metalworking, countable) A side channel or branch of the runner of a flask, made to distribute the metal to all parts of the mold.
7. (metalworking, countable) A group of castings made in the same mold and connected by sprues formed in the runner and its branches.^[1]
8. (computing, countable) The allocation and filling of blocks of memory with the same byte sequence, hoping to establish that sequence in a certain predetermined location as part of an exploit.
   • 2015, Herbert Bos, Fabian Monrose, Gregory Blanc, Research in Attacks, Intrusions, and Defenses: 18th International Symposium:

     This approach would be altered for an optimal omelette based exploit. One would spray the heap with the omelette code solely, then load a single copy of the additional shellcode eggs into memory outside the target region for the spray.

9. (Australia) A loud scolding or reprimand, usually delivered by a sports coach or similar figure.
   • 2008, Robert Harvey, Harves: Strength Through Loyalty, Macmillan Publishers Aus., →ISBN, page 119:

     On match days he could give a good spray, and in many ways he was an old-fashioned coach, having learned a lot of his approach from Ron Barassi.

   • 2008, Kevin Hillier, Rocket Science: The Biography of Rodney Eade, Macmillan Publishers Aus., →ISBN, page 151:

     Expectations of what they will put up with have changed and a big spray probably doesn't have the effect it used to have. It certainly worked for me, I would get really aggressive and get fired up 'cause it's a motivational device they used.

   • 2018, Paul Amy, Fabulous Fred: The Strife and Times of Fred Cook, Melbourne Books, →ISBN:

     He could give a bloody good spray, Bricey,' Cook says. 'He'd be frothing at the mouth after he'd finished.

• → Esperanto: spraji
• → Turkish: sprey

spray (third-person singular simple present sprays, present participle spraying, simple past and past participle sprayed)

1. (transitive) To project a liquid in a dispersive manner toward something.

   The firemen sprayed the house.

   Using a water cannon, the national guard sprayed the protesters.

2. (ergative) To project in a dispersive manner.

   Spray some ointment on that scratch.

   The water sprayed out of the hose.

3. (transitive, figurative) To project many small items dispersively.
   • 2019 November 21, Samanth Subramanian, “How our home delivery habit reshaped the world”, in The Guardian‎:

     The sprawl of sheds like Magna Parks 1 to 3 are a particularly vivid measure, because they host the final moment of relative stasis for millions of products that are then sprayed out to homes in every direction.

   • 2013 June 14, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama's once hip brand is now tainted”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 18:

     Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet.

4. (intransitive, zoology) To urinate in order to mark territory.
5. (transitive, computing, computer security) To allocate blocks of memory from (a heap, etc.), and fill them with the same byte sequence, hoping to establish that sequence in a certain predetermined location as part of an exploit.

   to spray the heap of a target process

   • 2015, Herbert Bos, Fabian Monrose, Gregory Blanc, Research in Attacks, Intrusions, and Defenses: 18th International Symposium:

     This approach would be altered for an optimal omelette based exploit. One would spray the heap with the omelette code solely, then load a single copy of the additional shellcode eggs into memory outside the target region for the spray.

6. (transitive, soccer) To pass (a ball), usually laterally across the field and often a long distance.
   • 2012 February 1, Ash Rose, The QPR Miscellany, The History Press, →ISBN:

     Kevin McLeod sprayed the ball across from the left flank where a raging Ainsworth met it on the volley from 25 yards out, crashing the ball into the roof of the net.

   • 2013 August 11, Jamal Orme, The Victory Boys, Kube Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 13:

     Yunus sprayed it to the wing where Ali was in some space.

7. (transitive, Australian rules football) To kick (a ball) poorly and in an unintended direction.
   • 2011, Ashley Browne, Grand Finals: The Stories Behind the Premier Teams of the Victorian Football League. 1897-1938, Slattery Media Group, →ISBN, page 143:

     Despite a goal to Vin Gardiner for Carlton, courtesy of an infringement, the Blues squandered many opportunities in attack. They sprayed the ball with their field kicking, and in their path toward goal.

   • 2016 June 28, Nick Richardson, The Game of Their Lives, Macmillan Publishers Aus., →ISBN:

     But once again their forwards, including Sloss, sprayed the ball in front of goal and squandered their momentum by kicking a solitary goal and six careless behinds.

8. (climbing, slang, derogatory) To give unwanted advice.
9. (Nigeria) To shower guests dancing at a function with money
   • 2019, “Nigeria’s money-spraying culture: A national embarassment?”, in Apa News‎:

     “If a celebrator is dancing and you spray him/her, you may go to jail from the party venue because the law enforcement agents will be there, waiting to arrest you.

• say it, don't spray it
• sprayable
• spray and pray
• spray-on

From Middle English spray, from Old English *spræġ, sprei (found in place names such as that of Spreyton, England), of unknown origin.

spray (countable and uncountable, plural sprays)

1. (countable) A small branch of flowers or berries.

   The bridesmaid carried a spray of lily-of-the-valley.

   • a. 1674, John Milton, “To the Nightingale”, in Paradise Regain’d, Birmingham: J. and R. Tonson and S. Draper, published 1752, page 506:

     O Nightingale, that on yon bloomy ſpray / Warbleſt at eve, when all the woods are ſtill, / Thou with freſh hope the lover’s heart doſt fill, / While the jolly hours lead on propitious May.

   • 1700, Dryden, “The Flower and the Leaf: Or, The Lady in the Arbour. A Vision.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; , London: Jacob Tonson, , →OCLC, page 385:

     The painted Birds, Companions of the Spring, / Hopping from Spray to Spray, were heard to ſing ; / Both Eyes and Ears receiv’d a like Delight, / Enchanting Muſick, and a charming Sight.

2. (countable) A collective body of small branches.

   The tree has a beautiful spray.

   • a. 1426, Thomas Hoccleve, “The recordyng of aungeles song of the Natiuite of oure lady”, in Frederick James Furnivall, editor, Hoccleve's Works, volume III (in Middle English), London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., published 1897, lines 8–14, page xlvi:

     A blisful flour, owt of this spray schal springe ; / The fruyt þer-of schal be ful precïous ; / A causë haue for to ioye & synge, / In honure of þat maidë gracïous, / That gret comfort schal cause vnto vs ; / ffor now schal faste oure company encrees, / And god with man schal makë smallë pees.

     A blissful flower out will spring out of this spray; / Its fruit shall be very precious; / We have cause for joy and song, / In honour of that gracious maid, / Who will make us very comfortable; / for now our company will grow quickly, / And man will make peace with God.

   • c. 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Book VII, Canto VII:

     And from the Trees did lop the needless Spray;

3. (uncountable) Branches and twigs collectively; foliage.
   • a. 1300, Robert of Gloucester, “Henricus”, in William Aldis Wright, editor, The Metrical Chronicle of Robert of Gloucester (in Middle English), London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, published 1887, part I, page 755:

     Gret fur he made þer aniȝt of wode & of sprai.

     There, at night, he made a great box out of wood and spray.

   • 1789, William Blake, “A Dream”, in Songs of Innocence:

     Troubled, 'wilder'd, and forlorn, / Dark, benighted, travel-worn, / Over many a tangled spray, / All heart-broke I heard her say

   • a. 1843, John Claudius Loudon, “Catalogue of Culinary Vegetables”, in The Suburban Horticulturalist, London: Bradbury and Evans, published 1845, page 631:

     The pea, being a tendrilled climber, whenever it is to be cultivated to the greatest advantage, ought to be supported by pea sticks, which are branches of trees or shrubs well furnished with spray, and of lengths suited to the height to which the plants grow.

4. (countable, obsolete) An orchard.
5. (countable) An ornament or design that resembles a branch.

• Prays, Sarpy, prays, raspy, spary

Borrowed from English spray.

• IPA^(key): /spreː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: spray

spray m (plural sprays)

1. spray (liquid commercial product sold in a spray container)

• haarspray
• verfspray

Borrowed from English spray.

• IPA^(key): /ˈsprei̯/,
• Rhymes: -ei
• Hyphenation^(key): spray

spray

1. spray (device for spraying)

• Many of the inflected forms, especially the plurals, are somewhat awkward. Therefore, it may be advisable to use appropriate synonyms for these cases, such as spraypullo, spraytölkki, suihke, suihkepullo.

• suihke
• suihkepullo

• “spray”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

spray m (plural sprays)

1. spray can

• spré, szpré

From English spray.

• IPA^(key): , , ,
• Hyphenation: spray
• Rhymes: -reː, -eːj

spray (plural spray-k)

1. spray (commercial product dispensed from a container)

• spraye

From Old English *spræġ, sprei (found in place names such as that of Spreyton, England), of unknown origin.

• IPA^(key): /sprɛi̯/

spray (plural sprayes)

1. branch, shoot, or twig of a tree

• English: spray
• Yola: spraay

• “sprai, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:

spray

Wikipedia ^no

From English spray.

spray m (definite singular sprayen, indefinite plural sprayer, definite plural sprayene)

1. spray

• hårspray
• nesespray
• sprayboks
• spraymaling

• spraye

spray

1. imperative of spraye

• “spray” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From English spray.

spray m (definite singular sprayen, indefinite plural sprayar, definite plural sprayane)

1. spray

• hårspray
• sprayboks

• spraye

• “spray” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

spray

Wikipedia ^pl

• sprej

Unadapted borrowing from English spray.

• IPA^(key): /ˈsprɛj/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛj
• Syllabification: spray

spray m inan

1. spray (fine, gentle, dispersed mist of liquid)
2. aerosol spray (liquid commercial product sold in a spray container)

• spray in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese Wikipedia has an article on:

spray

Wikipedia ^pt

• (Brazilian pronunciation spelling) esprei

Unadapted borrowing from English spray.

spray m (plural sprays)

1. spray; atomizer (pressurised container with a nozzle that lets out a spray)

   Synonyms: atomizador, aerossol, pulverizador

2. spray (fine, gentle, disperse mist of liquid)

   Synonym: borrifo

Unadapted borrowing from English spray.

• IPA^(key): /sprej/
• IPA^(key): /ʃprej/ – folk common pronunciation.
• Rhymes: -ej
• Hyphenation: spray

spray n (plural sprayuri)

1. spray

Unadapted borrowing from English spray.

• IPA^(key): /esˈpɾai/
  • Rhymes: -ai
• IPA^(key): /esˈpɾei/
  • Rhymes: -ei

spray m (plural sprays or spray)

1. Alternative form of espray

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

• “spray”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

• sprej

Borrowed from English spray. Attested since 1920.

spray c

1. spray (especially when sprayed from a spray can or spray bottle or the like)

• sprayburk (“spray can”)
• sprayflaska (“spray bottle”)

• spraya

• sprut
• spruta

• spray in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• spray in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• spray in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)