# splay

> English word · Verb · IPA /spleɪ/ · frequency rank #85,804

## Definitions
1. To spread, spread apart, or spread out (something); to expand.
2. To construct a bevel or slope on (something, such as the frame or jamb of a door or window); to bevel, to slant, to slope.
3. To rearrange (a splay tree) so that a desired element is placed at the root.
4. To dislocate (a body part such as a shoulder bone).
5. To unfurl or unroll (a banner or flag).
6. To have, or lie in, an oblique or slanted position.
7. To spread out awkwardly; to sprawl.

## Etymology
PIE word
 *dwís
The verb is derived from Middle English splaien, splayen (“to display; to spread out, unfurl (a flag, etc.); (cooking) to cut open (a fish) lengthwise and lay it open; (figurative) to appear; to spread”), an aphetic form of Middle English displaien, displayen (“to display”): see display.
The adjective and adverb are derived from the verb, or from splayfoot (noun) or splayfooted (adjective). The noun is derived from the verb.

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