spacer

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
space/speɪs/

▶noun

• 1 a continuous area or expanse which is free or unoccupied.

  ■ a gap between printed or written words or characters.

  ■ pages in a newspaper, or time between broadcast programmes, available for advertising.

• 2 the dimensions of height, depth, and width within which all things exist and move.

  ■ (also outer space) the physical universe beyond the earth's atmosphere.

  ■ the near-vacuum extending between the planets and stars.

• 3 an interval of time (indicating that the time is short): both cars were stolen in the space of a few hours.

• 4 the freedom and scope to live and develop as one wishes.

• 5 Mathematics a mathematical concept generally regarded as a set of points having some specified structure.

• 6 Telecommunications one of two possible states of a signal in certain systems. The opposite of mark1.

▶verb

• 1 position (items) at a distance from one another.

  ■ (in printing or writing) insert spaces between.

• 2 (be spaced out or chiefly N. Amer. space out) informal be or become euphoric or disorientated, especially from taking drugs.

– derivatives
spacer noun,
spacing noun.

– origin ME: shortening of OFr. espace, from L. spatium.