A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Span, v.2 [e.m.E. span (1550), MDu., MLG spanner.] tr. To harness horses to a carriage or wagon. —1637 Monro Exped. ii 176.
The water being small, we made a bridge of our small cannon … passing over … , the horses spanned before the cannon [we] led them away after the army
