spout

English

Etymology

From Middle English spouten, from Middle Dutch spoiten, spouten (> Dutch spuiten (“to spout”)), from *spīwatjaną. Compare Swedish spruta (“squirt, syringe”). See also spit, spew.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spaʊt/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /spʌʊt/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊt

Noun

spout (plural spouts)

1. A tube or lip through which liquid or steam is poured or discharged.

   

   I dropped my china teapot, and its spout broke.

2. A stream of liquid.
   • 2010, James Fleming, Cold Blood, page 160:

     A spout of blood flew from his mouth, spattering Smichov's linen trousers.

3. The mixture of air and water thrown up from the blowhole of a whale.
4. (Australia) A hollow stump formed when a tree branch breaks off.

Coordinate terms

• (tube through which liquid is discharged): nozzle

Derived terms

• lick spout
• up the spout
• waterspout

 

Translations

a tube through which liquid is poured or discharged

• Armenian: ծորակ (hy) (corak), քիթ (hy) (kʿitʿ)
• Azerbaijani: lülək, lülə
• Bulgarian: чучур (bg) m (čučur)
• Catalan: broc (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 嘴子 (zh) (zuǐzi)

• Czech: hubice f, hubička (cs) f, odtok m, výpust f
• Dutch: tuit (nl) m or f
• Faroese: tútur m
• Finnish: nokka (fi), kaatonokka
• French: bec verseur (fr) m
• Galician: cano m, torno (gl), bico (gl), biqueira f
• German: Tülle (de) f, Ausguss (de) m, Schnabel (de) m, Auslauf (de) m, Schnaupe (de), Schnauze (de) f, Auslaufrohr n, Ausgießer m, Wasserspeier (de) m, Ausgusstülle (de) f, Ausgießtülle f, Ausgussschnabel m
• Italian: beccuccio (it) m
• Japanese: 噴出口 (ふんしゅつぐち, funshutsuguchi)
• Latin: canālis (la) m
• Maori: kōrere
• Persian: چرنه‎ (čorne), نول‎ (fa) (nul)
• Polish: dzióbek (pl) m, wylew (pl) m (formal)
• Portuguese: bico (pt) m, bica (pt) f, biqueira (pt) f
• Russian: но́сик (ru) m (nósik), го́рлышко (ru) n (górlyško) (of a bottle)
• Spanish: pico (es) m (vessel), pitorro m (Spain), boquilla (es) f
• Swedish: pip (sv) c, hällpip c
• Turkish: uç (tr)

a stream of liquid

• Azerbaijani: lülə
• Bulgarian: сътуя f (sǎtuja)
• Catalan: raig (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 噴射／喷射 (zh) (pēnshè)

• Czech: proud (cs) m, výtrysk m (kapaliny)
• Finnish: suihku (fi), vesipatsas (fi), vesisuihku
• French: jet (fr) m
• German: Ausfluss (de) m, Auslauf (de) m, Fluss (de) m, Strom (de) m, Flüssigkeitsstrom m, Fontäne (de) f, Spritzer (de) m
• Italian: getto (it) m
• Japanese: 噴射 (ja) (ふんしゃ, funsha)
• Maori: puahiritanga
• Portuguese: jorro (pt) m
• Russian: струя́ (ru) f (strujá), пото́к (ru) m (potók)
• Spanish: chorro (es) m
• Swedish: stråle (sv)

the mixture of air and water thrown up from the blowhole of a whale

• Catalan: brollador (ca) m
• Finnish: suihku (fi), vesisuihku
• French: souffle (fr) m
• German: Blas (de) m
• Maori: pupuha
• Portuguese: borrifo (pt) m
• Russian: фонта́н (ru) m (fontán) (у кита́), струя́ (ru) f (strujá)
• Spanish: chorro (es) m

Verb

spout (third-person singular simple present spouts, present participle spouting, simple past and past participle spouted)

1. (intransitive) To gush forth in a jet or stream

   Water spouts from a hole.

2. (transitive, intransitive) To eject water or liquid in a jet.

   The whale spouted.

   • 1697, Thomas Creech, The Whale:

     The mighty whale […] spouts the tide.

3. (intransitive) To speak tediously or pompously.
4. (transitive) To utter magniloquently; to recite in an oratorical or pompous manner.
   • c. 1608–1610, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher, “The Coxcomb”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, Act IV, scene iv:

     Pray, spout some French, son.

5. (transitive, slang, dated) To pawn; to pledge.

   to spout a watch

Derived terms

• spout off
• spout out

 

Translations

to gush forth in a stream

• Bulgarian: бликам (bg) (blikam), шуртя (bg) (šurtja)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 噴出／喷出 (zh) (pēnchū), 噴放／喷放 (pēnfàng), 噴／喷 (zh) (pēn)

• Czech: chrlit, stříkat (cs) impf, prýštit impf
• Dutch: spuiten (nl)
• Finnish: suihkuttaa (fi), syöstä (fi)
• French: jaillir (fr)
• Galician: arreitar
• German: speien (de), spritzen (de), herausspritzen
• Icelandic: spúa (is)
• Italian: sgorgare (it), zampillare (it)
• Japanese: 噴き出す (ja) (ふきだす, fukidasu), 噴く (ふく, fuku)
• Maori: pipiha (of a whale)
• Polish: lać się (pl) impf
• Portuguese: jorrar (pt)
• Quechua: ch'iwkachiy, pukyuy
• Russian: струи́ться (ru) impf (struítʹsja), бры́згать (ru) impf (brýzgatʹ), бить струёй impf (bitʹ strujój), заби́ть струёй pf (zabítʹ strujój), выбра́сывать струёй impf (vybrásyvatʹ strujój), вы́бросить струёй pf (výbrositʹ strujój), хлы́нуть (ru) pf (xlýnutʹ)
• Spanish: chorrear (es)

to speak tediously and at length

• Bulgarian: ораторствам (oratorstvam)
• Czech: žvanit (cs) impf, kecat (cs) impf, mlít (cs) impf
• Finnish: paasata (fi), jaaritella (fi)
• French: palabrer (fr)
• Galician: parolar (gl)
• German: palavern (de), quatschen (de), von sich geben
• Polish: rozwodzić się (pl) impf
• Russian: разглаго́льствовать (ru) impf (razglagólʹstvovatʹ)

Anagrams

• POTUS, Toups, USPTO, pouts, putos, stoup, tupos, upsot