Sharp metal wheels worn on a rider's heels to make a horse move faster, or anything that encourages someone to action.
From Old English 'spora' and Old Norse 'spori'; the word entered English before the Viking invasions and shows the deep antiquity of horse-riding culture in Germanic languages.
Spurs are one of the few pieces of medieval equipment that are still commonly used—cowboys, equestrians, and even the San Antonio Spurs basketball team still invoke this 1,000-year-old word!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.