Definitions
move out of position
Word origin
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.
Used in a sentence
“The Lydian maiden in her web did portray to her full / […] / Aſteriee ſtruggling with an Erne which did away hir beare, / And ouer Leda ſhe had made a Swan his wings to ſplay.”
“The tracks are laid with the inner rails only 10 in. apart, except at the half way point (North Walk) where they are splayed out to allow the cars to pass.”
“At Hounslow, the existing running lines would need splaying to create two turnback sidings inbetween ^([sic]) them, to help accommodate the planned service of 4tph.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Move out of position”5 letters
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