verb
spay
Spay (verb) means to remove a female animal's ovaries or womb in an operation, so that she cannot have young.
verb
1
To remove a female animal's ovaries or womb in an operation, so that she cannot have young.
"We’re having our cat spayed as we don’t want her having kittens."
"With their eye on non-island countries, namely America, the authors of Cat Wars argue for a combination of spay/neuter programs, enclosed sanctuaries, and euthanasia."
— Britt Peterson, The Case Against Cats (2016)
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Etymology
Came into English via Middle English spayen and spaien, from the Anglo-Norman espeier, equivalent to the Old French espeer (“to cut with a sword”), from espee (“sword”), which also gave Modern French épée.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for spay
See all rhymes for spay →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of spay?
"spay" (verb) means to remove a female animal's ovaries or womb in an operation, so that she cannot have young.
What is another word for spay?
Other words for "spay" include castrate, alter, neuter.
