Spavin

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Spavin \Spav"in\, n. [OE. spaveyne, OF. esparvain, F.
     ['e]parvin; akin to OF. espervier a sparrow hawk, F.
     ['e]pervier, fr. OHG. sparw[=a]ri (G. sperber), fr. OHG.
     sparo sparrow, because this disease makes the horse raise the
     infirm leg in the manner of a sparrow hawk or sparrow. See
     {Sparrow}.] (Far.)


     A disease of horses characterized by a bony swelling
     developed on the hock as the result of inflammation of the
     bones; also, the swelling itself. The resulting lameness is
     due to the inflammation, and not the bony tumor as popularly
     supposed. --Harbaugh.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Bog spavin}, a soft swelling produced by distention of the
        capsular ligament of the hock; -- called also {blood
        spavin}.
  
     {Bone spavin}, spavin attended with exostosis; ordinary
        spavin.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  spavin
       n : a swelling of the hock joint of a horse; resulting in
           lameness