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Glite Dictionary
Spencer

Spencer

1 7.0
An English thinker who applied natural selection to human societies
  • proper noun
  • /ˈspɛnsər/
: Spencer
  • For instance, there was Spencer, the son of a playwright and a cellist.
  • Herbert Spencer

Examples

  • Herbert Spencer was a significant figure in the development of social Darwinism.

  • In his writings, Spencer argued that societies evolve much like species do in nature.

  • - Jack Spencer on the phone for you.

    Holy Man (1998)

  • If someone came calling between the time Miss Spencer left... ... and the time you returned.

    The Exorcist (1973)

  • -Tom, this is my son, Spencer.

    Disclosure (1994)

  • Well, I remember old Mrs Spencer.

    Gangster Story (1959)

  • One way or another, Spencer, you're gonna get on board.

    Buckley's Chance (2021)

  • Spencer, Nick, and Miles threw in the towel.

    For Your Own Sake (2021)

  • On her way over, she stopped at Marks and Spencer to look for a Christmas present for Agnes.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Look, can you contact Lieutenant Spencer at 33rd precinct, okay?

    The Ambulance (1990)

Surface Forms

Spencer main

Etymology

Spencer is a family name that began as a job name for someone who looked after and gave out food and goods. It comes from an old word meaning 'to give out', the same root as dispense, so a Spencer was originally a 'steward' who managed supplies. So when you see Spencer used as a name, as with Herbert Spencer, it is that family name with a job-based origin.