Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To remove surgically the ovaries of (an animal).
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The male red-deer or hart in his third year.
- To castrate (a female) by extirpating the ovaries.
- See
spae .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To remove or extirpate the ovaries of, as a sow or a bitch; to castrate (a female animal).
- noun (Zoöl.) The male of the red deer in his third year; a spade.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Rare spelling of
spayard . - verb transitive To remove or destroy the
ovaries (of an animal) in order that it cannot becomepregnant .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb remove the ovaries of
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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Because a spay is an intra-abdominal procedure (we have to go inside the delicate abdomen), it's more complicated.
Pets' needs should dictate vets' prices for spaying, neutering 2010
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Some shelters are opting for late-term spay -- to abort the entire litter -- so they don't have to euthanize them.
chron.com Chronicle 2009
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Since we also have a third, female cat, I looked up "spay," and it said "enlever les ovaires de," which seems a bit long.
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Since we also have a third, female cat, I looked up "spay," and it said "enlever les ovaires de," which seems a bit long.
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She and I had a really good conversation about the pros and cons of the various options (doing nothing, going back on the pill, removing various individual bits of plumbing, or the full "spay").
Wired Campus 2010
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When celebrities lend their name and likeness to a worthy cause such as spay and neuter campaigns or animal welfare legislation, they bring awareness to the general public and hopefully, inspire people to get involved and volunteer at their local shelter.
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Enforced spay/neuter laws reduced unwanted litters …
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… People in the New England states say stricter leash laws, harsher winters and spay/neuter laws make it difficult to find an average mutt to make a good pet.
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The ASPCA is in all five boroughs every single day with our mobile clinics, trying to save animals by providing free and low-cost spay/neuter surgeries to more than 30,000 cats and dogs every year.
Ed Sayres: Progress in the Fight to Save NYC's Homeless Animals Ed Sayres 2011
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Its cat facilities still get overwhelmed by local cats and kittens, though (no leash laws and enforced spay/neuter laws for cats in Massachusetts).
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