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REFERENCE

spit

v. · n.
US //ˈspɪt// UK //spˈɪt// spit
Irregular verb past spat / spit past participle spat / spit
  1. 1 to expel saliva (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to force saliva or other liquid out of your mouth.

    to eject saliva or other substances from the mouth with force. Ambitransitive — can be used with or without a direct object.

    Example

    He had to spit out the sour milk as soon as he tasted it.

    Example

    The athlete paused by the track to spit before beginning his final set of sprints.
    • expectorate
  2. 2 to rain lightly (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate British English

    to rain very lightly.

    to rain or snow with very low intensity. Used in the impersonal 'it' construction.

    Example

    It started to spit just as we reached the park, so we put on our hoods.

    Example

    Although it was only spitting when they left the house, the clouds suggested a much heavier downpour was imminent.
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  1. 3 to rap or tell the truth (v.)
    C1 Advanced Slang Informal Music

    to perform rap music or to say something that is very true.

    to perform rap lyrics or, in modern slang, to state undeniable facts or truths.

    Example

    The rapper started to spit some amazing lyrics during the freestyle battle.

    Example

    The speaker was really spitting facts about the economy, and the audience couldn't help but agree with every point.

    Teacher's tip

    In modern internet slang, 'spitting' is often used as a compliment for someone telling a hard truth.
  2. 4 saliva (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Medicine

    the liquid that is produced in your mouth.

    saliva, especially when it has been ejected from the mouth.

    Example

    There was a small patch of spit on the pavement where the dog had been.

    Example

    The forensic team collected a sample of spit from the glass to check for DNA evidence.
  3. 5 cooking rod (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Cooking

    a long metal rod used for holding and turning meat over a fire.

    a slender, pointed rod on which meat is impaled for roasting over an open flame or in a rotisserie.

    Example

    We roasted a whole chicken on a spit over the campfire.

    Example

    The chef carefully balanced the lamb on the spit to ensure it would rotate evenly over the glowing coals.
    • skewer
  4. 6 land feature (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical

    a long, narrow piece of sand or land that sticks out into the sea.

    a narrow coastal landform that extends from a shore into a body of water, typically formed by longshore drift.

    Example

    The lighthouse stands at the very end of the sandy spit.

    Example

    The geological survey focused on how the spit had shifted over the last decade due to increased tidal erosion.
Etymology 1

The noun is from Middle English spit, spite, spete, spette, spyte, spytte (“rod on which meat is cooked; rod used as a torture instrument; short spear; point of a spear; spine in the fin of a fish; pointed object; dagger symbol; land projecting into the sea”), from Old English spitu (“rod on which meat is cooked; spit”), from Proto-Germanic spitō (“rod; skewer; spike”), spituz (“rod on which meat is cooked; stick”), from Proto-Indo-European speyd-, spey- (“sharp; sharp stick”). The English word is cognate with Dutch spit, Low German Spitt (“pike, spear; spike; skewer; spit”), Danish spid, Swedish spett (“skewer; spit; type of crowbar”). The verb is derived from the noun, or from Middle English spiten (“to put on a spit; to impale”), from spit, spite: see above. The English verb is cognate with Middle Dutch speten, spitten (modern Dutch speten), Middle Low German speten (Low German spitten, modern German spießen (“to skewer, to spear”), spissen (now dialectal)) and Danish spidde.

Etymology 2

The verb is from Middle English spē̆ten, spete (“to spit (blood, phlegm, saliva, venom, etc.); of a fire: to emit sparks”), from Old English spǣtan (“to spit; to squirt”); or from Middle English spit, spitte, spitten (“to spit (blood, phlegm, saliva, venom, etc.); of a fire: to emit sparks”), from Old English spittan, spyttan (“to spit”), both from Proto-Germanic, from Proto-Indo-European sp(y)ēw, spyū, ultimately imitative; compare Middle English spitelen (“to spit out, expectorate”) and English spew. The English word is cognate with Danish spytte (“to spit”), North Frisian spütte, Norwegian spytte (“to spit”), Swedish spotta (“to spit”), Old Norse spýta (Faroese spýta (“to spit”), Icelandic spýta (“to spit”)). The noun is derived from the verb; compare Danish spyt (“spit”), Middle English spit, spytte (“saliva, spittle, sputum”), spet (“saliva, spittle”), spē̆tel (“saliva, spittle”), North Frisian spiit.

Etymology 3

The noun is from Middle Dutch speet, spit, Middle Low German spêdt, spit (Low German spit); the word is cognate with Dutch spit, North Frisian spatt, spet, West Frisian spit. The verb is from Middle English spitten (“to dig”), from Old English spittan (“to dig with a spade”), possibly from spitu (“rod on which meat is cooked; spit”); see further at etymology 1. The English word is cognate with Middle Dutch spetten, spitten (modern Dutch spitten), Middle Low German speten, spitten (Low German spitten), North Frisian spat, West Frisian spitte.

Idioms9 entries

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