spanning
verb
Definitions
To extend through the distance between or across.
Example: The suspension bridge spanned the canyon.
To extend through (a time period).
Example: The novel spans three centuries.
To measure by the span of the hand with the fingers extended, or with the fingers encompassing the object.
Example: to span a space or distance; to span a cylinder
To generate an entire space by means of linear combinations.
noun
Definitions
The process by which something is spanned.