Stretching across or extending from one side to another; covering a period of time or distance.
From Old English 'spannan,' meaning 'to stretch or join together.' Related to 'span' (a measurement based on the distance from thumb to pinky finger when extended).
The word span originally came from measuring distances using your hand—a span was the length of an outstretched hand (about 9 inches)—which is why we still talk about a 'span of years'!
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