spans
noun
Definitions
The space from the thumb to the end of the little finger when extended; nine inches; an eighth of a fathom.
(by extension) A small space or a brief portion of time.
Example: He has a short attention span and gets bored within minutes.
A portion of something by length; a subsequence.
The spread or extent of an arch or between its abutments, or of a beam, girder, truss, roof, bridge, or the like, between supports.
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.