# spay

> English word · Verb · IPA /speɪ/ · frequency rank #57,728

## Definitions
1. To destroy or remove the ovaries or uterus (of a female animal) to prevent pregnancy.

## Etymology
From Middle English spayen, spaien, from the Anglo-Norman espeier, equivalent to the Old French espeer (“to cut with a sword”), from espee (“sword”), whence the Modern French épée.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/spay