The Collaborative International Dictionary
Spancel \Span"cel\, n. [Perhaps span + AS. s[=a]l a rope.]
A rope used for tying or hobbling the legs of a horse or cow.
[Prov. Eng. & Local, U.S.]
--Grose.
Spancel \Span"cel\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spanceledor
Spancelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Spanceling or Spancelling.]
To tie or hobble with a spancel. [Prov. Eng. & Local, U.S.]
--Malone.
Wiktionary
n. a rope or fetter used to hobble a horse or other animal vb. (context transitive English) to hobble with a spancel
Usage examples of "spancel".
The horses were belled and spancelled near by, feeding on the cane and wild grass, and Polly Ann was cooking journey-cakes on a stone.
Under a gibbous moon horse and rider spanceled to their shadows on the snowblue ground and in each flare of lightning as the storm advanced those selfsame forms rearing with a terrible redundancy behind them like some third aspect of their presence hammered out black and wild upon the naked grounds.
With a cry Polly Ann flew to the hickory cradle under the tree, Tom sprang for the rifle that was never far from his side, while with a kind of instinct I ran to catch the spancelled horses by the river.
They were all bound hand and foot with Resiler spancels and had their mouths taped over like Oncaterius.