Speen

Speen is a term that can refer to more than one thing in English usage. In historical or dialect contexts, speen is an archaic or variant spelling of the word spleen, the organ involved in filtering blood and supporting immune function. In modern medical language, the spelling spleen is standard.

The more common contemporary use of the name is in geography. Speen is the name of a village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England, located near Newbury. The parish encompasses the village of Speen and surrounding rural areas. Nearby Speenhamland, a locality within the same area, is historically significant because the Speenhamland system of poor relief, devised in the late 18th century, is named after it. This system sought to provide a form of emergency assistance to rural workers and became a focal point in discussions of welfare and social policy in Britain.

In addition to the village itself, the element speen appears in other English place names, often as part of longer toponyms or local historic names. Because it is an element rather than a single dedicated site, the term speen is encountered in various regional references, sometimes linked to historical documents or local geography rather than as a distinct contemporary locality.