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spare part

spare part

20 3.0
An extra item kept to replace a broken piece in a machine
  • noun
  • /spɛr pɑrt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pieza de repuesto
  • It's essential to have spare parts on hand for the maintenance of the machinery.
  • spare parts and equipment
  • lack of spare parts
  • machinery spare parts

And I actually built this car out of just spare parts.

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Examples

  • Hospitals are unable to acquire spare parts for incubators, kidney dialysis machines, and other equipment.

    Academic text (2001)
  • About two-thirds of vehicles were off the road by 1981-82 for lack of spare parts.

    Academic text (1991)
  • I used every spare part I could find.

  • No, I fixed it with some spare parts.

  • Do you have any idea how expensive spare parts are for one of these?

  • Because as of today, we are no longer making spare parts.

  • Is this your only strategy, and have you got any spare parts left in the factory?

  • Industrial production, in particular, depends heavily on imported machinery, spare parts, and raw materials.

    Academic text (1995)
  • The factory keeps a stock of spare parts to ensure quick repairs on the assembly line.

  • We ordered a few spare parts for the printer to replace the damaged components.

Synonyms

spare
vsspare part
132 2.7

An extra thing you keep to use if another breaks

is a reserved component kept to replace faulty or worn-out machine pieces

Surface Forms

spare part singular
spare parts plural

Morphology

spare + part

The meaning 'an additional component kept in reserve' is directly derivable from combining 'spare' (an extra item) with 'part' (a component). This noun–noun composition follows a straightforward, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The compound noun spare part comes from the simple image of keeping an extra piece: spare means extra and part means a piece of a machine, saved ready to use if the main piece breaks. So it means 'an extra part you keep to replace a broken one'.