Dictionary

pit en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• [pʰɪʔt] (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• /pɪt/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (General-American) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *puti Old English pytt Middle English pit English pit From Middle English pit, pet, püt, from Old English pytt, from Proto-West Germanic *puti, from Latin puteus (“trench, pit, well”), although there are phonetic difficulties.

Meanings

1. A hole in the ground.
   • 27 Whoso diggeth a pit, shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will returne vpon him. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 26:27:
   • The meadow around the town is full of old pits.
2. An area at a racetrack used for refueling and repairing the vehicles during a race.
   • Two drivers have already gone into the pit this early in the race.
3. The section of a marching band containing mallet percussion instruments and other large percussion instruments too large to be marched, such as the tam-tam; the front ensemble. Can also refer to the area on the sidelines where these instruments are placed.
4. A mine.
5. A hole or trench in the ground, excavated according to grid coordinates, so that the provenance of any feature observed and any specimen or artifact revealed may be established by precise measurement.
   • The exact sites of Feng and Hao have yet to be verified, but seven pits containing chariots, horses and other Zhou burial objects were discovered at Fengxi, and a concentration of Western Zhou relics and tombs was found in the area of Doumen in Changan County on the east bank of the Feng River. 1991 [1987], Zou Zongxu, translated by Susan Whitfield, The Land Within the Passes: A History of Xian, Viking, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 68:
6. A trading pit.
7. (colloquial) An armpit.
8. A luggage hold.
9. (countable) A small surface hole or depression, a fossa.
   • [The researchers] noticed many of their pieces of [plastic marine] debris sported surface pits around two microns across. Such pits are about the size of a bacterial cell. Closer examination showed that some of these pits did, indeed, contain bacteria, […]. 2013 July 20, “Welcome to the plastisphere”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
10. The indented mark left by a pustule, as in smallpox.
11. The grave, underworld or Hell.
    • He keepeth back his soul from the pit. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job xxxiii:18:
    • Back to the infernal pit I drag thee chained. 1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
12. An enclosed area into which gamecocks, dogs, and other animals are brought to fight, or where dogs are trained to kill rats.
    • as fiercely as two game-cocks in the pit 1693, [John Locke], “§145”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC:
13. Formerly, that part of a theatre, on the floor of the house, below the level of the stage and behind the orchestra; now, in England, commonly the part behind the stalls; in the United States, the parquet; also, the occupants of such a part of a theatre.
14. Part of a casino which typically holds tables for blackjack, craps, roulette, and other games.
15. (in-plural, slang, with the) Only used in the pits.
    • His circus job was the pits, but at least he was in show business.
16. (slang) A mosh pit.
    • Because the museum was closed for renovation, the school decided to bring its fourth-graders to the pit at a Cannibal Corpse gig instead.
17. The center of the line.
    • The ball carrier can be with or without a football. For the “Head-On” tackle have the “Ball Carrier” stand right in front of the pit and face the tackler. 2007, Bob Swope, Youth Football Drills and Plays Handbook, page 29:
    • “They don't call the middle of the line The Pit for nothing. We really do get like animals, trying to claw one another apart in there. It is very hard in The Pit. No matter how it seems, no matter what the score shows, it's always hard. […] 2018, Paul Zimmerman, The New Thinking Man's Guide to Professional Football:
18. (slang) The emergency department of a hospital.
19. In tracheary elements, a section of the cell wall where the secondary wall is missing, and the primary wall is present. Pits generally occur in pairs and link two cells.
20. (qualifier:Antarctica and UK, slang) A bed.
    • Many Bacardi & Cokes later I climbed up into my pit and fell into a deep sleep, and woke up at one thirty in the morning and threw up my tea. 2009, Julian Beirne, Diary of a Sapper, page 55:
21. (informal) An undesirable location, especially an unclean one.
    • This house is a total pit. We've got to do some cleaning!
22. (figuratively) A bleak, depressing state of mind.
    • He was in a pit of despair.
23. (abbreviation, alt-of) Short for dish pit
    alt of dish pit
    • Get back to the pit, dish bitch!
    • The plot takes us through the "sleaze pits", the lower West Side leather bars, which Travis notes with undue repulsion. 1979 April 28, Eric Rofes, “New Yech, New Yech”, in Gay Community News, page 14:
24. On a compact disc or similar recording medium, a tiny sunken area representing part of the encoded data.

Forms

Antonyms

land

Deriveds

pit of the stomach · cesspit · stonepit · death pit · plutonium pit · tar pit · buccal pit · tarpit · tree pit · circle pit · claypit · superpit · firepit · gun pit · pit adder · pitcoal · pit head · charpit · Hatschek's pit · coalpit · skim pit · pithead · pitwall · ball pit · bottomless pit · trial pit · dish pit · rifle pit · snowpit · tearpit · gravel pit · pit pony · tanpit · sump pit · the pits · bear pit · eye-pit · pit nutter · sawpit · punji pit · dome pit · pitroom · bitter pit · marlpit · kneepit · Christy pit · pit stop · burn pit · armpit · rat pit · fire pit · cyclone pit · pitbull · orchestra-pit · pitwheel · pit toilet · pseudopit · pockpit · pit frame · pit straight · solution pit · pitless · chalkpit · tiger pit · washpit · pit bike · pit bing · pitwork · pitboard · wheelpit · pit of despair · pit bull · pitter · sandpit · grease pit · pit cave · cockfighting pit · passion pit · borrow pit · cockpit · clay pit · gong-pit · test pit · micropit · pit prop · pit helmet · pit-yacker · pitlike · pitwright · pit boss · pit lane · plague pit · wheel pit · pitsaw · pittite · elbow pit · conversation pit · rain pit · Lychpit · nanopit · knee pit · orchestra pit · whirlpit · pit village · pitman · he who digs a pit for others falls in himself · open-pit mine · corn-pit · pit girl · flea pit · pit lizard · shale pit · pitmaster · pit crew · mosh pit · money pit · pit viper · pit-eye · lime pit · bell pit · catchpit · pit babe · pithouse · pit beef · ashpit · snake pit · pitfall · catch pit · pit-boss · pit-adder · shitpit · pitful · pit coal · inspection pit · ash pit

Translations (160)

cs depo (service area at a motor racetrack) · alt оро (hole in the ground) · pt fosso (hole in the ground) · bo ས་དོང (hole in the ground) · fi pelisali (part of a casino) · pt vala (hole in the ground) · sk jamka (small surface hole or depression) · sl jama (hole in the ground) · haw lua (hole in the ground) · pt pitstop (service area at a motor racetrack) · fi kolo (small surface hole or depression) · hu verem (hole in the ground) · mr खड्डा (hole in the ground) · kk ура (hole in the ground) · de Grube (hole in the ground) · ru я́ма (hole in the ground) · hu gödör (hole in the ground) · sv grop (hole in the ground) · pl jama (hole in the ground) · de Grabungsloch (archaeology: excavation hole) · de Grabung (archaeology: excavation hole) · oc clot (hole in the ground) · fi hauta (grave or underworld) · grc βάραθρον (hole in the ground) · de Hölle (grave or underworld) · fr fosse (hole in the ground) · es excavación (archaeology: excavation hole) · or ଗାଡ (hole in the ground) · cmn 坑 (hole in the ground) · cs jáma (hole in the ground) · sq gropë (hole in the ground) · fi monttu (hole in the ground) · de Ausgrabung (archaeology: excavation hole) · de Kampfplatz (enclosed area into which animals are brought to fight) · cy pant (hole in the ground) · pl dół (hole in the ground) · ki irima (hole in the ground) · nv łeʼoogeed (hole in the ground) · it buco (hole in the ground) · vi hố (hole in the ground) · es foso (archaeology: excavation hole) · de Loch (hole in the ground) · de Erdgrube (small surface hole or depression) · hy հոր (hole in the ground) · izh kulppa (hole in the ground) · bg партер (part of a theatre) · az çuxur (hole in the ground) · cs box (service area at a motor racetrack) · tr çukur (hole in the ground) · bg я́ма (hole in the ground) · ko 구멍 (hole in the ground) · gd sloc (hole in the ground) · id lubang (hole in the ground) · te గొయ్యి (hole in the ground) · fi kuoppa (hole in the ground) · da kule (hole in the ground) · uk я́ма (hole in the ground) · oj waanikaan (hole in the ground) · it buca (hole in the ground) · grc βόθρος (hole in the ground) · es foya (hole in the ground) · txb kāre (hole in the ground) · de Vertiefung (hole in the ground) · th บ่อ (hole in the ground) · it box (service area at a motor racetrack) · ar حُفْرَة (hole in the ground) · de Kuhle (small surface hole or depression) · ja 落とし穴 (hole in the ground) · eo kavo (hole in the ground) · cmn 穴 (hole in the ground) · knb abut (hole in the ground) · is hola (hole in the ground) · he בור (hole in the ground) · fa چاله (hole in the ground) · ml കുഴി (hole in the ground) · fa چال (hole in the ground) · ca fossa (hole in the ground) · rup groapã (hole in the ground) · zza çal (hole in the ground) · ga poll (hole in the ground) · pt buraco (hole in the ground) · cho chiluk (hole in the ground) · es pit (service area at a motor racetrack) · hy փոս (hole in the ground) · sq pus (gheg) (hole in the ground) · es fosa (hole in the ground) · pt cavouco (hole in the ground) · de Narbe (indented mark left by a pustule) · nl pit (service area at a motor racetrack) · ko 구덩이 (hole in the ground) · rif anu (hole in the ground) · ca sot (hole in the ground) · krc уру (hole in the ground) · kmr çal (hole in the ground) · oc fòssa (hole in the ground) · fr fosse (music: section of a marching band) · fa گودال (hole in the ground) · fi rokonarpi (indented mark left by a pustule) · tyz bó (hole in the ground) · ba соҡор (hole in the ground) · pt poço (hole in the ground) · fi rumpusektio (music: section of a marching band) · ota چوقور (hole in the ground) · el πιτ (service area at a motor racetrack) · de Loch (small surface hole or depression) · fo hola (hole in the ground) · ebk lokkong (hole in the ground) · be я́ма (hole in the ground) · mk јама (hole in the ground) · fr puits (service area at a motor racetrack) · ja 穴 (hole in the ground) · fr stand (service area at a motor racetrack) · nl put (hole in the ground) · tl lubak (hole in the ground) · ky ороо (hole in the ground) · de Box (service area at a motor racetrack) · fi varikko (service area at a motor racetrack) · tr pit (service area at a motor racetrack) · la puteus (hole in the ground) · de Vertiefung (small surface hole or depression) · sh jama (hole in the ground) · ksc lungug (hole in the ground) · de Grube (small surface hole or depression) · mi rua (hole in the ground) · sh јама (hole in the ground) · de Grab (grave or underworld) · de Grabestelle (archaeology: excavation hole) · is gryfja (hole in the ground) · fi syvältä (something particularly unpleasant) · es hoya (hole in the ground) · es box (service area at a motor racetrack) · os уӕрм (hole in the ground) · it fossa (hole in the ground) · oc trauc (hole in the ground) · ka ორმო (hole in the ground) · el λάκκος (hole in the ground) · ro groapă (hole in the ground) · la fovea (hole in the ground) · ug ора (hole in the ground) · eo tombofoso (grave or underworld) · es agujero (hole in the ground) · fi kaivanto (archaeology: excavation hole) · sl boks (service area at a motor racetrack) · fi permanto (part of a theatre) · km ក្រហូង (hole in the ground) · hi गडडा (hole in the ground) · knb mamboka (hole in the ground) · kjh ора (hole in the ground) · nl kuil (hole in the ground) · ru бо́ксы (service area at a motor racetrack) · sv depå (service area at a motor racetrack) · ilo abut (hole in the ground) · kk шұңқыр (hole in the ground) · sl brezno (hole in the ground) · th หลุม (hole in the ground) · fi kuoppa (archaeology: excavation hole) · tl hukay (hole in the ground) · gl foxo (hole in the ground) · sk jama (hole in the ground) · nv nooʼ (hole in the ground)

pit en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• [pʰɪʔt] (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• /pɪt/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (General-American) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *puti Old English pytt Middle English pit English pit From Middle English pit, pet, püt, from Old English pytt, from Proto-West Germanic *puti, from Latin puteus (“trench, pit, well”), although there are phonetic difficulties.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make pits in; to mark with little hollows.
   • Exposure to acid rain pitted the metal.
2. (transitive) To put (an animal) into a pit for fighting.
3. (transitive) To bring (something) into opposition with something else.
   • Are you ready to pit your wits against one of the world's greatest puzzles?
   • 2017 August 25, "Arrest threat as Yingluck Shinawatra misses verdict", in aljazeera.com, Al Jazeera Thaksin's ouster triggered years of upheaval and division that has pitted a poor, rural majority in the north that supports the Shinawatras against royalists, the military and their urban backers.
   • For the 75 years since a district rebellion was put down, The Games have existed as an assertion of the Capital’s power, a winner-take-all contest that touts heroism and sacrifice—participants are called “tributes”— while pitting the districts against each other. 2012 March 22, Scott Tobias, AV Club, The Hunger Games:
   • 2017 August 25, Aukkarapon Niyomyat & Panarat Thepgumpanat, "Thai junta seeks Yingluck's arrest as former PM skips court verdict", in reuters.com, Reuters That movement, pitted against a Bangkok-centered royalist and pro-military elite, has been at the heart of years of turmoil.
4. (intransitive) To return to the pits during a race for refuelling, tyre changes, repairs etc.
   • Bottas had to pit earlier than expected for fresh tyres. Hamilton followed him in next time around and the two drivers were instructed to stay off the kerbs to protect their tyres. 2020 September 13, Andrew Benson, “Tuscan Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton claims 90th win after incredible race”, in BBC Sport:

Forms

Deriveds

pit one's wits · pit out · pit against

Translations (29)

de Boxenstopp einlegen (motor racing: to return to the pits) · hu szembefordít (to bring into opposition) · fi tehdä koloja (to make pits in) · de gegenüber treten (to bring into opposition) · de angreifen (to make pits in) · fi mennä varikolle (motor racing: to return to the pits) · fi haastaa (to bring into opposition) · hu bepettyez (to make pits in) · fi panna taistelemaan (to put a dog into dog fight) · de anfressen (to make pits in) · de zerfurchen (to make pits in) · nl pitten (motor racing: to return to the pits) · es agujerear (to make pits in) · el αντιτάσσω (to bring into opposition) · de zernarben (to make pits in) · de gegeneinander antreten lassen (to put a dog into dog fight) · bg копая яма (to make pits in) · de entgegen setzen (to bring into opposition) · hu bepöttyöz (to make pits in) · hu bokszutcába megy/hajt/húzódik (motor racing: to return to the pits) · fr opposer (to bring into opposition) · hu szembeállít (to bring into opposition) · de Boxenstopp machen (motor racing: to return to the pits) · de miteinander kämpfen lassen (to put a dog into dog fight) · hu küzdőtérre visz (to put a dog into dog fight) · de an die Box fahren (motor racing: to return to the pits) · es oponer (to bring into opposition) · de aneinander messen (to bring into opposition) · de gegeneinander kämpfen lassen (to put a dog into dog fight)

pit en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• [pʰɪʔt] (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• /pɪt/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (General-American) audio

Etymology

From Dutch pit (“kernel, core”), from Middle Dutch pitte, from Proto-Germanic *pittan (compare dialectal German Pfitze (“pimple”)), oblique of Proto-Germanic *piþō. Compare pith.

Meanings

1. (Northern-US) A seed inside a fruit; a stone or pip inside a fruit.
   • Near-synonym: pip
2. The core of an implosion nuclear weapon, consisting of the fissile material and any neutron reflector or tamper bonded to it.
   • [...] weapons "pits" (the plutonium components of nuclear weapons, named by analogy with the pit of a fruit such as a peach), [...]. 1996, “2 Background”, in :w:National Research Council (United States), editor, An Evaluation of the Electrometallurgical Approach for Treatment of Excess Weapons Plutonium, Washington DC, USA: National Academies Press, →DOI, page 15:
   • The Nagasaki-type [bomb] [...] had a wider range of yield potential depending on the kind of fissile core and tamper assembly, or "pit," used in it. 1999, Anne C Fitzpatrick, Igniting the Light Elements: The Los Alamos Thermonuclear Weapon Project, 1942-1952, Los Alamos, NM (United States): Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), →DOI, Thesis LA-13577-T, page 248:

Forms

Deriveds

seed pit · peach pit · cherry pit

Synonyms

stone · pyrene · pyrena · pip · seed pit

Translations (48)

grc γίγαρτον (seed or stone inside a fruit) · nl pit (seed or stone inside a fruit) · fr pépin (seed or stone inside a fruit) · es güito (seed or stone inside a fruit) · eo kerno (seed or stone inside a fruit) · mk семка (seed or stone inside a fruit) · pl pestka (seed or stone inside a fruit) · cmn 果核 (seed or stone inside a fruit) · pt caroço (seed or stone inside a fruit) · tr çekirdek (seed or stone inside a fruit) · de Same (seed or stone inside a fruit) · cs pecka (seed or stone inside a fruit) · de Kern (seed or stone inside a fruit) · wa pirete (seed or stone inside a fruit) · wa nawea (seed or stone inside a fruit) · rup sãmburi (seed or stone inside a fruit) · fi siemen (seed or stone inside a fruit) · es hueso (seed or stone inside a fruit) · fr noyau (seed or stone inside a fruit) · grc πυρήν (seed or stone inside a fruit) · hu mag (seed or stone inside a fruit) · es pepita (seed or stone inside a fruit) · de Stein (seed or stone inside a fruit) · sv kärna (seed or stone inside a fruit) · bg костилка (seed or stone inside a fruit) · it nocciolo (seed or stone inside a fruit) · ro sâmbure (seed or stone inside a fruit) · ary عضم (seed or stone inside a fruit) · cmn 核 (seed or stone inside a fruit) · te గొయ్యి (seed or stone inside a fruit) · es pepa (seed or stone inside a fruit) · fi kivi (seed or stone inside a fruit) · mk јатка (seed or stone inside a fruit) · yi קערל (seed or stone inside a fruit) · el κουκούτσι (seed or stone inside a fruit) · oj okandaamin (seed or stone inside a fruit) · pt graínha (seed or stone inside a fruit) · rup sãmbure (seed or stone inside a fruit) · is steinn (seed or stone inside a fruit) · ca pinyol (seed or stone inside a fruit) · he חַרְצָן (seed or stone inside a fruit) · ru ко́сточка (seed or stone inside a fruit) · rif aɣyay (seed or stone inside a fruit) · sl koščica (seed or stone inside a fruit) · it osso (seed or stone inside a fruit) · es carozo (seed or stone inside a fruit) · izh toomi (seed or stone inside a fruit) · tr nüve (seed or stone inside a fruit)

pit en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• [pʰɪʔt] (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• /pɪt/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (General-American) audio

Etymology

From Dutch pit (“kernel, core”), from Middle Dutch pitte, from Proto-Germanic *pittan (compare dialectal German Pfitze (“pimple”)), oblique of Proto-Germanic *piþō. Compare pith.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To remove the stone from a stone fruit or the shell from a drupe.
   • One must pit a peach to make it ready for a pie.

Forms

Translations (15)

sv kärna ur (remove the stone from) · it snocciolare (remove the stone from) · pt descaroçar (remove the stone from) · fr épépiner (remove the stone from) · hu kimagoz (remove the stone from) · sl razkoščičiti (remove the stone from) · it denocciolare (remove the stone from) · es deshuesar (remove the stone from) · de entsteinen (remove the stone from) · fi poistaa kivi (remove the stone from) · cs vypeckovat (remove the stone from) · de aussteinen (remove the stone from) · sv urkärna (remove the stone from) · de entkernen (remove the stone from) · fr dénoyauter (remove the stone from)

pit en · NOUN · etymology 3

Pronunciation

• [pʰɪʔt] (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• /pɪt/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (General-American) audio

Etymology

Shortening.

Meanings

1. (informal) A pit bull terrier.
   • I resolved to find all my pits good homes and to get out of the rescue and breeding business. 2012, Shorty Rossi, Four Feet Tall and Rising, page 186:

Forms

Synonyms

shitbull · pibble · pittie · pit bull · velvet hippo

pit en · VERB · etymology 4

Pronunciation

• [pʰɪʔt] (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• /pɪt/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (General-American) audio

Etymology

From PIT maneuver.

Meanings

1. To use the PIT maneuver, especially during a car chase.

Forms

Relateds

pit-a-pat