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Definition of inspan in English:

inspan

transitive verbtransitive verb inspans, transitive verb inspanning, transitive verb inspanned

[with object]South African

  • Yoke (draft animals, typically oxen) in a team to a vehicle.

    ‘Duma inspanned sixteen of his best cattle’
    • ‘The waentjies had functioning disselbooms, jukke and skeie complete with carefully cut riempies spantoue for inspanning the oxen.’

Pronunciation

inspan

/inˈspan/ /ɪnˈspæn/

Origin

Early 19th century from Dutch inspannen ‘to stretch’, from in- ‘in’ + spannen ‘to span’.