spit
spit Lexical Profile
spit Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Saliva, especially when forcibly ejected from the mouth; the act of ejecting saliva.
"The boxer wiped a fleck of spit from his chin between rounds."
A long, thin metal rod pushed through meat in order to hold and turn it while roasting over an open fire.
"They roasted a whole lamb on a rotating spit over the glowing charcoal."
A narrow point of sand or shingle projecting from the shore into a body of water, formed by coastal deposition and longshore drift.
"A lighthouse stood at the very end of the sandy spit to guide ships around the shallow bay."
A person who bears an exact physical resemblance to another (often used in phrases like "the dead spit of").
"At twenty years old, he was the exact spit of his grandfather."
• verb
To eject saliva, food, or another substance forcibly from the mouth.
"The child took one bite of the bitter fruit and immediately spat it into a napkin."
To utter words sharply, angrily, or with vehement contempt.
"He spat a string of curses as the heavy door slammed shut on his fingers."
To emit small sparks, drops of hot fat, or light scattered raindrops with a sharp, sputtering sound.
"The damp pine logs hissed and spat in the fireplace all evening."
To pierce or thrust through with a long, pointed rod, especially for roasting over a fire.
"The chef spitted the seasoned chickens and set them over the open hearth."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the ejection of saliva, the past tense and past participle can be either "spat" (universal and dominant in British English) or "spit" (common in North American English). However, when referring to impaling meat on a roasting rod, the verb is strictly regular and always takes "spitted".
• Rhymes for spit
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The sense relating to saliva comes from Old English spittan, of imitative origin representing the sound of expectorating. The sense of a pointed rod or narrow strip of land derives separately from Old English spitu, from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "pointed object."