"spane" is an old or dialect word meaning to wean; to spean. If your teen uses it, they have most likely picked it up from a book, video game, period drama, or a regional grandparent rather than a modern peer group. There is no cause for concern here; the word is largely out of contemporary teen usage. If it appears in a school text, it is being studied for vocabulary or historical context. You can treat it like any other archaic vocabulary item.
spane
(obsolete, UK, dialect) To wean; to spean.
Seen in the wild
Spane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_J._Spane "Robert J.
Spane United States Navy vice admiral | Robert J.
Thirty-nine-year-old Lydia Spane(ph) lives here.
Definitions
(obsolete, UK, dialect) To wean; to spean.
to spane a child
"spane" is an old or dialect word meaning to wean; to spean. If your teen uses it, they have most likely picked it up from a book, video game, period drama, or a regional grandparent rather than a modern peer group. There is no cause for concern here; the word is largely out of contemporary teen usage. If it appears in a school text, it is being studied for vocabulary or historical context. You can treat it like any other archaic vocabulary item.
"spane" is obsolete or literary English meaning to wean; to spean. It is mainly heard in British English (and Irish English). A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "to wean" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to use "spane" in modern conversation; it will sound strange or theatrical. Recognise it in older texts, but use the modern equivalent when speaking. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
“Spane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_J._Spane "Robert J.”
“Spane United States Navy vice admiral | Robert J.”
“Thirty-nine-year-old Lydia Spane(ph) lives here.”
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Related terms
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Semantically related
- spence63%
(UK, dialect, dated) A buttery or pantry.
- outspan62%
(South Africa, transitive) To release oxen from a harness.
- spreathe62%
(UK, dialect, obsolete) To make chapped, as with cold.
- spreathe61%
(UK, dialect, obsolete) The condition of being chapped, as with cold.
- spanner61%
(rare) One who, or that which, spans.