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spence (SPENS) - n., (Brit.) a pantry, a larder.
The cupboard or small room where food is kept -- I'm not clear if this is current usage. There's also a more definitively obsolete sense of an interior room of a country house where the family ate. In use since the 14th century, from either Middle French despense, pantry from Medieval Latin dīspēnsa, feminine noun form of the past participle of dīspendere, to weigh out, from dis-, frequentive prefix + pendere, to weigh, OR from Anglo-Norman espence, from Medieval Latin expensa, victuals, from Late Latin, outlay (for food), from ex-, out + pendere, to weigh in the sense of to pay out. Either way, a shortened form of (prefix) + pendere.
---L.
The cupboard or small room where food is kept -- I'm not clear if this is current usage. There's also a more definitively obsolete sense of an interior room of a country house where the family ate. In use since the 14th century, from either Middle French despense, pantry from Medieval Latin dīspēnsa, feminine noun form of the past participle of dīspendere, to weigh out, from dis-, frequentive prefix + pendere, to weigh, OR from Anglo-Norman espence, from Medieval Latin expensa, victuals, from Late Latin, outlay (for food), from ex-, out + pendere, to weigh in the sense of to pay out. Either way, a shortened form of (prefix) + pendere.
---L.
