See Also: spurn(medicine)
spurn(1)(dictionary)
spurn(2)(dictionary)
spurn(dictionary)
spurn(dictionary)

spurn (iou)



spurn verb.
[Old English spurnan, spornan corresp. to Old Saxon spurnan, Old High German spornon, spurnan, from Germanic verb cogn. with Latin spernere scorn. Cf. SPUR noun1.]
I. verb intrans.
Strike against something with the foot; trip, stumble. OE-M18.
Strike or thrust with the foot; kick (at). LME-M18.
fig. Show opposition or antipathy towards something, esp. in a scornful or disdainful manner. (Foll. by against, at.) E16.
II. verb trans.
Reject with contempt or disdain; treat contemptuously; scorn, despise. OE.
Baroness Orczy Her very limbs seemed to ache with longing for the love of a man who had spurned her. K. Crossley-Holland Iceland spurned kingship..and was ruled..by a union of chieftains.
Strike or tread on (something) with the foot; trample; kick. Now chiefly literary with implication of sense 4. ME.
Longfellow With one touch of my..feet, I spurn the solid Earth.
spurner noun M16.