spit
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɪt
[edit] Etymology 1
Old English spitu
[edit] Noun
spit (plural spits)
- A rod on which meat is grilled (UK English) or broiled (US English).
- A narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula.
[edit] Translations
a rod on which meat is grilled/broiled
a narrow, usually sandy peninsula
[edit] Verb
spit (third-person singular simple present spits, present participle spitting, simple past and past participle spitted)
- To impale on a spit.
[edit] Etymology 2
From Old English spittan, from Proto-Indo-European *spyēw, *spyū [1], of imitiative origin (see spew)[2]
[edit] Verb
spit (third-person singular simple present spits, present participle spitting, simple past and past participle spat (UK) or spit (US))
- (intransitive, transitive) To evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth.
- Don't spit on the street.
- The teacher told her to spit out her bubble gum.
- 1994, Stephen Fry, The Hippopotamus Chapter 2
- At the very moment he cried out, David realised that what he had run into was only the Christmas tree. Disgusted with himself at such cowardice, he spat a needle from his mouth, stepped back from the tree and listened. There were no sounds of any movement upstairs: no shouts, no sleepy grumbles, only a gentle tinkle from the decorationsas the tree had recovered from the collision.
- (transitive) To utter violently.
- 1915, Amélie Rives (Princess Troubetzkoy), Shadows of Flames, page 240 [1]:
- "Why, you little emasculated Don Juan— You—" he spat an unmentionable name— "d'you think I'd fight one of your tin-soldier farces with you? Clear out!"
- 2004, Mark Gatiss, The Vesuvius Club, 2005 Pocket Books edition, ISBN 0743483790, chapter 3, page 23 [2]:
- 'Gentleman? You?" he spat.
- 1915, Amélie Rives (Princess Troubetzkoy), Shadows of Flames, page 240 [1]:
- (transitive, slang, hip-hop) To utter.
- 2005, Giselle Zado Wasfie, So Fly
- A group of black guys were spitting rhymes in the corner, slapping hands and egging one another on.
- 2005, Giselle Zado Wasfie, So Fly
[edit] Usage notes
- Spit is the more common past form in the US.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Derived terms
Terms derived from spit (verb)
[edit] Translations
to evacuate saliva from the mouth
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[edit] Noun
spit (countable and uncountable; plural spits)
- (uncountable) Saliva, especially when expectorated.
- There was spit all over the washbasin.
- (countable) An instance of spitting.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
saliva
an instance of spitting
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
[edit] Anagrams
[edit] References
- ^ Ayto, John, Dictionary of Word Origins, Arcade Publishing, New York, 1990
- ^ spew, Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper
[edit] Aleut
[edit] Pronoun
spit
