Length vs Span - What's the difference?
length | span |
The distance measured along the longest dimension of an object.
duration
* Robert Frost
(horse racing) The length of a horse, used to indicate the distance between horses at the end of a race.
(mathematics) Distance between the two ends of a line segment.
(cricket) The distance down the pitch that the ball bounces on its way to the batsman.
(figuratively) Total extent.
Part of something that is long; a physical piece of something.
(obsolete) To lengthen.
* 1599 , , XIV. 30:
The space from the thumb to the end of the little finger when extended; nine inches; eighth of a fathom.
Hence, a small space or a brief portion of time.
* Alexander Pope
* Farquhar
* 2007 . Zerzan, John. Silence .
The spread or extent of an arch or between its abutments, or of a beam, girder, truss, roof, bridge, or the like, between supports.
The length of a cable, wire, rope, chain between two consecutive supports.
(nautical) A rope having its ends made fast so that a purchase can be hooked to the bight; also, a rope made fast in the center so that both ends can be used.
(obsolete) A pair of horses or other animals driven together; usually, such a pair of horses when similar in color, form, and action.
(mathematics) the space of all linear combinations of something
To traverse the distance between.
To cover or extend over an area or time period.
* Prescott
To measure by the span of the hand with the fingers extended, or with the fingers encompassing the object.
* Bible, Isa. xiviii. 13
(mathematics) to generate an entire space by means of linear combinations
(intransitive, US, dated) To be matched, as horses.
To fetter, as a horse; to hobble.
(archaic, nonstandard) (spin)
*
* '>citation
*:a giant pick-up truck span out of control during a stunt show in a Dutch town, killing three people
In mathematics terms the difference between length and span
is that length is distance between the two ends of a line segment while span is to generate an entire space by means of linear combinations.In obsolete terms the difference between length and span
is that length is to lengthen while span is a pair of horses or other animals driven together; usually, such a pair of horses when similar in color, form, and action.As an acronym SPAN is
suicide Prevention Advocacy Network.length
English
Noun
(en noun)- Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length .
- the length of a book
- a length of rope
Derived terms
* arm's length * at length * cable length * feature-length * floor-length * focal length * full-length * good length * go to great lengths * half-length * knee-length * lengthen * lengthful * length overall * lengthways * lengthwise * lengthy * line and length * null patch length * overlength * path length * screening length * short of a length * wavelength * zero-length launchingVerb
(en verb)- Pack night, peep day; good day, of night now borrow: / Short night, to-night, and length thyself to-morrow.
Statistics
* 1000 English basic wordsspan
English
Etymology 1
(etyl) spannNoun
(en noun)- Yet not to earth's contracted span / Thy goodness let me bound.
- Life's but a span ; I'll every inch enjoy.
- The unsilent present is a time of evaporating attention spans ,
Etymology 2
Old English spannanVerb
(spann)- The suspension bridge spanned the canyon as tenuously as one could imagine.
- The parking lot spans three acres.
- The novel spans three centuries.
- World record! 5 GHz WiFi connection spans 189 miles. [http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/27/world-record-5ghz-wifi-connection-spans-189-miles/]
- The rivers were spanned by arches of solid masonry.
- to span''' a space or distance; to '''span a cylinder
- My right hand hath spanned the heavens.