ENGLISH
REFERENCE

spout

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈspaʊt// UK //spˈaʊt// spout Archaic Slang

n. the part of a container, like a teapot or a bottle, where the liquid comes out. It is usually shaped like a tube or a lip to help you pour without making a mess.

n. a tube or lip projecting from a container through which liquid is poured or discharged. Often refers to the functional outlet of a kettle, teapot, or fountain.


SIMPLE

Water poured steadily from the spout of the kettle.

CONTEXTUAL

The teapot has a long, curved spout that prevents tea from dripping onto the tablecloth.

COMPLEX

Architects designed the fountain so that each bronze spout would release a precise arc of water into the central basin, creating a rhythmic splashing sound.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English spouten, from Middle Dutch spoiten, spouten (> Dutch spuiten (“to spout”)), from Old Dutch spūten, spīuten, spīwetten, from Proto-West Germanic spīwattjan, from Proto-Germanic *spīwatjaną. Compare Swedish spruta (“squirt, syringe”). See also spit, spew.

Usage

Commonly used in the phrase 'up the spout' in British English to mean something has failed or gone wrong.

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