Forms: α. 8–9 speronara, 9 -aro. β. 8–9 speronare. γ. 8–9 sparan-, sparonaro, 9 sparonara. [It.] A large rowing and sailing boat used in southern Italy and Malta.
α. 1783. Phil. Trans., LXXIII. 175. I had a pleasant voyage in my Maltese Speronara (which are excellent boats, and the boatmen very skilful).
1838. H. G. Knight, Normans in Sicily, 135. The harbour only contains a few fishing-boats and speronaras.
1870. Disraeli, Lothair, lxxi. 378. The boat was what is called a speronaro; an open boat worked with oars, but with a lateen sail at the same time when the breeze served.
β. 1797. Holcroft, trans. Stolberg’s Trav., IV. xcii. We went on board a speronare.
1836. Marryat, Midsh. Easy, xviii. Let’s get on board one of the speronares which come with fruit from Sicily.
1887. Gunter, Mr. Barnes, i. 6. A score or so of feluccas and speronares from Sardinia and Sicily.
γ. 1799. Nelson, 22 May, in Nicolas, Disp. (1846), VII. p. clxxxiii. Neither of the two Sparanaroes … having joined, I cannot send this for Palermo.
1823. J. J. Blunt, Vestiges Anc. Manners Italy, ii. 33. A friend of mine who … had hired a sparonara to convey them from Naples to Rome.
1828. Duppa, Trav. Italy, etc. 202. Here we quitted Sicily, and took a Sparanaro to visit Stromboli.
