Adjacent Words

Spit definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SPIT, n. [G.]
1. An iron prong or bar pointed, on which meat is roasted.
2. Such depth of earth as is pierced by the spade at once. [D. spit, a spade.]
3. A small point of land running into the sea, or a long narrow shoal extending from the shore into the sea; as a spit of sand.
SPIT, v.t. [from the noun.]
1. To thrust a spit through; to put upon a spit; as, to spit a loin of veal.
2. To thrust through; to pierce.
SPIT, v.t. pret. and pp. spit. Spat is obsolete. [G. The sense is to throw or drive.]
1. To eject from the mouth; to thrust out, as saliva or other matter from the mouth.
2. To eject or throw out with violence.
SPIT, v.i. To throw out saliva from the mouth. It is a dirty trick to spit on the floor or carpet.
SPIT, n. What is ejected from the mouth; saliva.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a narrow strip of land that juts out into the sea [syn: spit, tongue]
2: a clear liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands of the mouth; moistens the mouth and starts the digestion of starches [syn: saliva, spit, spittle]
3: a skewer for holding meat over a fire
4: the act of spitting (forcefully expelling saliva) [syn: spit, spitting, expectoration] v
1: expel or eject (saliva or phlegm or sputum) from the mouth; "The father of the victim spat at the alleged murderer" [syn: spit, ptyalize, ptyalise, spew, spue]
2: utter with anger or contempt [syn: spit, spit out]
3: rain gently; "It has only sprinkled, but the roads are slick" [syn: sprinkle, spit, spatter, patter, pitter- patter]
4: drive a skewer through; "skewer the meat for the BBQ" [syn: skewer, spit]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English spitu; akin to Old High German spiz spit, spizzi pointed Date: before 12th century 1. a slender pointed rod for holding meat over a fire 2. a small point of land especially of sand or gravel running into a body of water II. transitive verb (spitted; spitting) Date: 13th century to fix on or as if on a spit ; impale III. verb (spit or spat; spitting) Etymology: Middle English spitten, from Old English spittan; akin to Middle High German spiutzen to spit Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. a. to eject (as saliva) from the mouth ; expectorate b. (1) to express (unpleasant or malicious feelings) by or as if by spitting (2) to utter with a spitting sound or scornful expression <spat out his words> c. to emit as if by spitting; especially to emit (precipitation) in driving particles or in flurries <spit rain> 2. to set to burning <spit a fuse> intransitive verb 1. a. (1) to eject saliva as an expression of aversion or contempt (2) to exhibit contempt b. to eject matter (as saliva) from the mouth ; expectorate 2. to rain or snow slightly or in flurries 3. to make a noise suggesting expectoration ; sputter IV. noun Date: 14th century 1. a. (1) spittle, saliva (2) the act or an instance of spitting b. (1) a frothy secretion exuded by spittlebugs (2) spittlebug 2. perfect likeness 3. a sprinkle of rain or flurry of snow

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v. & n. --v. (spitting; past and past part. spat or spit) 1 intr. a eject saliva from the mouth. b do this as a sign of hatred or contempt (spat at him). 2 tr. (usu. foll. by out) a eject (saliva, blood, food, etc.) from the mouth (spat the meat out). b utter (oaths, threats, etc.) vehemently ('Damn you!' he spat). 3 intr. (of a fire, pen, pan, etc.) send out sparks, ink, hot fat, etc. 4 intr. (of rain) fall lightly (it's only spitting). 5 intr. (esp. of a cat) make a spitting or hissing noise in anger or hostility. --n. 1 spittle. 2 the act or an instance of spitting. 3 the foamy liquid secretion of some insects used to protect their young. Phrases and idioms: the spit (or very spit) of colloq. the exact double of (cf. spitting image). spit and polish 1 the cleaning and polishing duties of a soldier etc. 2 exaggerated neatness and smartness. spit chips Austral. sl. 1 feel extreme thirst. 2 be angry or frustrated. spit it out colloq. say what is on one's mind. spitting cobra the African black-necked cobra, Naja nigricollis, that ejects venom by spitting, not striking. spitting distance a very short distance. spitting image (foll. by of) colloq. the exact double of (another person or thing). Derivatives: spitter n. Etymology: OE spittan, of imit. orig.: cf. SPEW 2. n. & v. --n. 1 a slender rod on which meat is skewered before being roasted on a fire etc.; a skewer. 2 a a small point of land projecting into the sea. b a long narrow underwater bank. --v.tr. (spitted, spitting) 1 thrust a spit through (meat etc.). 2 pierce or transfix with a sword etc. Phrases and idioms: spit-roast cook on a spit. Derivatives: spitty adj. Etymology: OE spitu f. WG 3. n. (pl. same or spits) a spade-depth of earth (dig it two spit deep). Etymology: MDu. & MLG, = OE spittan dig with spade, prob. rel. to SPIT(2)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spit Spit, n. [OE. spite, AS. spitu; akin to D. spit, G. spiess, OHG. spiz, Dan. spid. Sw. spett, and to G. spitz pointed. [root]170.] 1. A long, slender, pointed rod, usually of iron, for holding meat while roasting. 2. A small point of land running into the sea, or a long, narrow shoal extending from the shore into the sea; as, a spit of sand. --Cook. 3. The depth to which a spade goes in digging; a spade; a spadeful. [Prov. Eng.] --Halliwell.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spit Spit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spitted; p. pr. & vb. n. Spitting.] [From Spit, n.; cf. Speet.] 1. To thrust a spit through; to fix upon a spit; hence, to thrust through or impale; as, to spit a loin of veal. ``Infants spitted upon pikes.'' --Shak. 2. To spade; to dig. [Prov. Eng.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spit Spit, v. i. To attend to a spit; to use a spit. [Obs.] She's spitting in the kitchen. --Old Play.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spit Spit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spit (Spat, archaic); p. pr. & vb. n. Spitting.] [AS. spittan; akin to G. sp["u]tzen, Dan. spytte, Sw. spotta,Icel. sp?ta, and prob. E. spew. The past tense spat is due to AS. sp?tte, from sp?tan to spit. Cf. Spat, n., Spew, Spawl, Spot, n.] 1. To eject from the mouth; to throw out, as saliva or other matter, from the mouth. ``Thus spit I out my venom.''

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spit Spit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spit (Spat, archaic); p. pr. & vb. n. Spitting.] [AS. spittan; akin to G. sp["u]tzen, Dan. spytte, Sw. spotta,Icel. sp?ta, and prob. E. spew. The past tense spat is due to AS. sp?tte, from sp?tan to spit. Cf. Spat, n., Spew, Spawl, Spot, n.] 1. To eject from the mouth; to throw out, as saliva or other matter, from the mouth. ``Thus spit I out my venom.''

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spit Spit, n. The secretion formed by the glands of the mouth; spitle; saliva; sputum.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spit Spit, v. i. 1. To throw out saliva from the mouth. 2. To rain or snow slightly, or with sprinkles. It had been spitting with rain. --Dickens. To spit on or upon, to insult grossly; to treat with contempt. ``Spitting upon all antiquity.'' --South.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(spits, spitting, spat) Note: In American English, the form 'spit' is used as the past tense and past participle. 1. Spit is the watery liquid produced in your mouth. You usually use spit to refer to an amount of it that has been forced out of someone's mouth. = saliva 2. If someone spits, they force an amount of liquid out of their mouth, often to show hatred or contempt. The gang thought of hitting him too, but decided just to spit... They spat at me and taunted me... She spit into the little tray of mascara and brushed it on her lashes. VERB: V, V prep, V prep 3. If you spit liquid or food somewhere, you force a small amount of it out of your mouth. Spit out that gum and pay attention... He felt as if a serpent had spat venom into his eyes... VERB: V n with out, V n prep 4. If it is spitting, it is raining very lightly. (BRIT; in AM, use sprinkle) It will stop in a minute - it's only spitting. VERB: usu cont, it V 5. A spit is a long rod which is pushed through a piece of meat and hung over an open fire to cook the meat. She roasted the meat on a spit. N-COUNT 6. A spit of land is a long, flat, narrow piece of land that sticks out into the sea. N-COUNT: N of n 7. If one place is within spitting distance of another, they are very close to each other. (INFORMAL) ...a restaurant within spitting distance of the Tower of London. PHRASE: usu PHR of n 8. If you say that one person is the spitting image of another, you mean that they look very similar. (INFORMAL) Nina looks the spitting image of Sissy Spacek. PHRASE: usu v-link PHR

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Pierce, thrust through. 2. Eject, throw out. II. v. n. Spawl, sputter. III. n. Spittle, saliva, spawl, sputum.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

He is as like his father as if he was spit out of his mouth; said of a child much resembling his father.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A sword.

Moby Thesaurus

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