spreading

noun — 2 senses

spreading

noun

/ˈspɹɛdɪŋ/

Etymology By surface analysis, spread + -ing.

1

The act by which something is spread.

  • Small numbers [of meadowlarks] remain on farms in the southern counties throughout the winter, usually relying on fresh manure spreadings for food when snow covers the fields.1991, Samuel D. Robbins, Wisconsin Birdlife: Population & Distribution Past & Present, page 579:
Derived terms
antispreading, broadspreading, jam-spreading, landspreading, manspreading, nonspreading, seafloor spreading, sea-floor spreading, sexpreading, spreading gooseberry, spreadingly, spreadingness, superspreading, womanspreading

spreading

noun

/ˈspɹiːdɪŋ/

Etymology Blend of speed + reading.

1

The act of spreading (speedreading).

  • Chief among the strategies exploiting this rule was "spreading" (a combination of "speed" and "reading"), where debaters would rattle off arguments at a blistering pace. Their speeches often exceeded 300 words per minute. (A conversational pace is about 60 per minute.)2017 September 26, Jack McCordick, “The Corrosion of High School Debate—And How It Mirrors American Politics”, in America, New York, N.Y.: America Press Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 21 Jun 2023:
  • The NSDA currently boasts more than one hundred and fifty thousand student participants (per affiliated team rosters), many of whom compete in Lincoln–Douglas or policy. The activities are distinct in structure—policy is two-on-two—but they operate similarly on the national circuit, and involve spreading and other experimental tactics.2022 September, Tess McNulty, “Both Sides Now”, in Harper's Magazine, New York, N.Y.: Harper's Magazine Foundation, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 Mar 2023:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.