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{{Short description|Digging tool}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Refimprove|date=June 2010}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}}
[[File:Spade.jpg|thumb|upright|Small spade for clay soil; the other one for sandy soil and [[loam]]y soil]]
A '''spade''' is a tool primarily for digging, consisting of a long handle and blade, typically with the blade narrower and flatter than the common [[shovel]].<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/spade Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) definition of spade]</ref>  

==Terminology==
English ''spade'' is from [[Old English]] ''{{lang|ang|spadu, spædu}}'' (f.)<ref>{{cite web |title=spade (n.1) |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/spade |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date=26 March 2024}}</ref> or ''{{lang|ags|spada}}'' (m.). The same word is found in [[Old Frisian]] ''{{lang|gem|spade}}'' and [[Old Saxon]] ''{{lang|gem|spado}}''. [[High German]] ''{{lang|de|spaten}}'' only appears in [[Early Modern German]], probably loaned from [[Low German]]. In the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Norway the word is ''spade'' as well. Other Scandinavian forms are in turn loaned from [[German language|German]].
The term may thus not originate in [[Common Germanic]] and appears to be a [[North Sea Germanic]] innovation or loaned. Closely related is [[Greek language|Greek]] {{lang|grc|σπάθη}} : {{Lang|grc-latn|spáthē}}, whence [[Latin]] ''{{lang|la|[[spatha]]}}''.

People often mistakenly use the word ''[[shovel]]'' interchangeably with spade but shovel is a generic term for a variety of tools that include numerous broad-bottomed versions for scooping and moving loose materials, such as a "coal shovel", "snow shovel", "grain shovel", etc. By contrast, spades tend to have a sharpened edge, curved profile, and pointed end better designed for digging.  The term "garden spade" is used for certain sharp-edged but square ended tools suited to cutting through sod. A classic spade, with a narrow body and flat (or near flat) tip is suited for digging post holes, and is not to be confused with a "roundpoint" shovel, which has a wider body and tapered tip.

==Designs==
[[File:Unloading_flood_relief_supplies_at_Gilgit_Air_Base_2010-09-18_1.jpg|thumb|A shoulder loaded with pointed spades]]
Spades are made in many shapes and sizes, for a variety of different functions and jobs, and there are many different designs used in spade manufacturing. The most common '''garden spade''' typically has a long handle, is wide, and is treaded (has rests for the feet to drive the spade into the ground).  An '''Irish spade''' is similar to a common garden spade, with the same general design, although it has a much thinner head. A '''border spade''' has a similarly shaped blade, but much smaller, as a garden spade; the handle is proportionately longer, though. 
 
A '''sharpshooter''' is a long, narrow spade - sometimes with thick flanged treads extending beyond the width of the blade to allow for a boot to fit on - for getting into tight spots or for cutting post holes. 

A '''turfing iron''' has a short, round head, and is used for cutting and paring off turf.  

A '''[[garden fork|digging fork]]''', or '''grape''', not referred to as a spade, is forked much like a pitchfork, and is useful for loosening ground and gardening. 

The '''[[Fishtail (tool)|fishtail]] spade''' has a flared triangular blade combining the versatility of the dutch hoe and power of the common round point shovel into a multipurpose tool.

Small spades are also made as toys for children, and are useful for small indoor plantings.

==History== 
Early spades were made of [[Riving|riven]] wood or of animal bones (often [[scapula|shoulder blade]]s). After the art of [[metalworking]] was developed, spades were made with sharper tips of metal. Before the introduction of metal spades manual labor was less efficient at moving [[dirt|earth]], with picks being required to break up the soil in addition to a spade for moving the dirt.  With a metal tip, a spade can both break and move the earth in most situations, increasing efficiency.

===Loy ploughing===
{{main article|Loy (spade)}}
Loy ploughing was a form of manual ploughing carried out in [[Ireland]] using a form of spade called a loy. It was done on very small farms where  horses could not be afforded or did not have enough work, and on very hilly ground where horses could not work.<ref name= WE2>{{cite news |url=http://www.westmeathexaminer.ie/news/roundup/articles/2009/03/03/36691-castlepollard-venue-to-host-westmeath-ploughing-finals/print|title=Castlepollard venue to host Westmeath ploughing finals|newspaper=Westmeath Examiner|author=Paul Hughes|date=3 March 2011|access-date=1 June 2011}}</ref>  It was used on poorer land until the 1960s.<ref name=Tribune>{{cite news|url=http://www.tribune.ie/archive/article/2009/sep/27/the-plough-and-the-stars/|newspaper=The Tribune|title=The plough and the stars
|date=27 September 2009|access-date=1 June 2011}}</ref> This suited the moist climate of Ireland as the trenches formed by turning in the sods providing [[drainage]]. It also allowed potatoes to be grown on mountain slopes where nothing else could be cultivated.

===Use as currency===
The blade of the spade was used as [[currency in ancient China]].{{cn|date=November 2025}} Later, they were miniaturized and then stylized into a flat piece. The [[Qin dynasty]] replaced them with round coins.

==Also called spades==
* In the [[oil industry|oil]] and [[chemical process]] industries, a spade is a round piece of metal with a small tab that is placed in between two pipe flanges to give positive isolation from the centre, usually to prevent cross-contamination between fluids or to allow work on the line. The name comes from the shape, which is a little like a garden spade.{{cn|date=December 2021}} The small tab shows that the spade is in place. 
* In [[kitchenware]], certain ice cream scoops are called spades due to the shape.  These scoops are used more in making hand-scooped milkshakes or desserts where a lot of ice cream can be scooped at once and the typical "ball" shape of scooped ice cream (i.e., scoops on a [[ice cream cone|cone]]) is not needed. The spade-shaped head also helps scrape off the ice cream stuck to the sides of the cartons.

==See also==
* {{annotated link|Tree spade}}
* {{annotated link|Entrenching tool}}
* {{annotated link|Call a spade a spade|To call a spade a spade}}
* {{annotated link|Digging bar}}

==References ==
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Spade|volume=25|page=526}}
*[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=spatula&searchmode=none Etymology OnLine]
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Garden tools}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Gardening tools]]
[[Category:Shovels]]