# smit

/ˈsmɪt/ (US) · /smˈɪt/ (UK) · CEFR C2 · Verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/smit
Updated: 2026-05-31

## Definition

to infect someone with a disease or to mark something with a stain. It is an old-fashioned word used mostly in specific local areas.

For teachers: to infect with a disease or to contaminate; also used to describe marking sheep with a distinctive dye. Primarily dialectal or archaic in modern usage.

## Examples

- The farmer used a red dye to smit his sheep.
- In some northern dialects, people still use the word to describe how a cold might smit everyone in the house.
- The shepherd spent the afternoon in the pens to smit the flock, ensuring each animal bore the owner's mark before they were released onto the common grazing land.

## Usage notes

- The verb is transitive and often appears in agricultural or regional contexts.

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