Outspans

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. To extend beyond the usual limits or boundaries in size or duration; to surpass in range or scope; to stretch outward into different areas or fields of activity
2. To cover a larger area or time interval than what is typical; to exceed usual boundaries in extent or influence; to reach further into various domains or subjects
3. To go beyond established confines in dimensions or periods; to outdo in coverage or impact; to expand into new territories or disciplines

Etymology: "Outspans" is the plural of "outspan", a noun that in South African English is used for a place where travellers stop to rest and unharness their animals. The word is an inflected form, so its meaning and history belong to "outspan" itself, which combines "out" with "span", in the sense of a team of draught animals harnessed together. The noun comes from Afrikaans "uitspan", a term from the days of ox-wagon travel. To "uitspan" was to unyoke the oxen from the wagon at the end of a day's journey, and the word was then applied to the spot where this was done. English speakers in southern Africa borrowed it directly, keeping the sense of a resting place on a journey.