"kept in reserve, not used, provided or held for extra need," late 14c., from or from the same root as spare (v.). Old English had spær "sparing, frugal." Also compare Old Norse sparr "(to be) spared." In reference to time, from mid-15c.; sense of "lacking in substance; lean, gaunt; flimsy, thin; poor," is recorded from 1540s. Spare part is attested from 1888. Spare tire is from 1894 of bicycles; 1903 of automobiles; 1961 of waistlines.
spare (v.)
Old English sparian "to refrain from harming, be indulgent to, allow to go free; use sparingly," from the source of Old English spær "sparing, frugal," from Proto-Germanic *sparaz (cognates: Old Saxon sparon, Old Frisian sparia, Old Norse spara, Dutch sparen, Old High German sparon, German sparen "to spare"). Meaning "to dispense from one's own stock, give or yield up," is recorded from early 13c. Related: Spared; sparing.
spare (n.)
"extra thing or part," 1640s, from spare (adj.). The Middle English noun sense was "a sparing, mercy, leniency" (early 14c.). Bowling game sense of "an advantage gained by a knocking down of all pins in two bowls" is attested from 1843, American English.
中文解释
1. sp- + are => spare.2. 专家们都是很节省的、节约的。=> 他们一天到晚搞研究，哪儿有什么时间花钱啊，所以他们往往都会有不少多余的、空闲的钱。
实用例句
1. In her spare time she read books on cooking.
业余时间里她看一些烹饪方面的书籍。
来自柯林斯例句
2. He spends his spare time visiting schools to warn pupils off drugs.
他用自己的业余时间访问学校，告诫小学生远离毒品。
来自柯林斯例句
3. She was thin and spare, with a sharply intelligent face.
她又高又瘦，一副精明过人的模样。
来自柯林斯例句
4. They've never had anything spare — they've always used it all.
他们从没有任何备用的东西——他们总是把什么都用得一干二净。
来自柯林斯例句
5. In the future the machines will need spare parts and maintenance.