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.
Meanings
A thin metal or wooden rod on which meat is skewered for cooking, often over a fire.
The spits upon which the double sections of fish are transfixed are iron rods about 7 feet long, provided with an L-shaped handle at one end, so that when hung on a bracket at either side of the fireplace it may be turned by hand. 1950, James Hornell, “The Greatest Eel-farm and Eel-trap in the World”, in Fishing in Many Waters, 1st paperback edition, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: At the University Press, published 2014, →ISBN, page 166:
They roaſt a fowl, by running a piece of wood through it, by way of ſpit, and holding it over a briſk fire, until the feathers are burnt of, when it is ready for eating, in their taſte. 1793, G. Hamilton, “[Appendix to the Tenth Volume of the Monthly Review Enlarged.] A Short Description of Carnicobar”, in The Monthly Review; or, Literary Journal, Enlarged, volume X, London: Printed for R[alph] Griffiths; and sold by T[homas] Becket, […], →OCLC, page 509:
When the joint to be roasted is thicker at one end than the other, place the spit slanting, so that the whole time the thickest part is nearest the fire, and also the thinnest by this means is preserved from being overmuch roasted. 1817, [William Kitchiner], “Roasting”, in Apicius Redivivus; or, The Cook’s Oracle: […], London: Printed for Samuel Bagster, […], by J. Moyes, […], →OCLC:
An Engliſh family in the country, [...] would receive you with an unquiet hoſpitality, and an anxious politeneſs; and after waiting for a hurry-ſcurry derangement of cloth, table, plates, ſideboard, pot and ſpit, would give you perhaps ſo good a dinner, that none of the family, between anxiety and fatigue, could ſupply one word of converſation, and you would depart under cordial wiſhes that you might never return.—This folly, ſo common in England, is never met with in France: [...] 1793, Arthur Young, “1788 [chapter]”, in Travels during the Years 1787, 1788 and 1789, Undertaken More Particularly with a View of Ascertaining the Cultivation, Wealth, Resources, and National Prosperity of the Kingdom of France. […] In Two Volumes, volume I, Dublin: Printed for Messrs. R. Cross, […], →OCLC, page 192:
A generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula or bar.
Sand-spits are unfinished beaches, and long tongues or points of land, formed of sand and shingle, by the transporting action of currents and the waves. In Coldspring harbor, a sand-spit extends from the west shore, obliquely, nearly across. [...] The materials are transported by the currents and waves, and deposited to form this spit. 1843, William W[illiams] Mather, “Marine Alluvial Detritus”, in Geology of New-York (Natural History of New York; part 4), part I (Comprising the Geology of the First Geological District), Albany, N.Y.: Printed by Carroll & Cook, […], →OCLC, page 28:
Chiao Shih, 44 feet high, lies about 1/2 mile southeastward of Ko-li, a 199-foot islet, that lies close off the south end of Pei-kan-t’ang Tao and is connected to it by a stoney spit. 1962, Publications, number 94, United States Hydrographic Office, →OCLC, page 228, column 2:
Playa margins are dominated by relict shoreline features, such as wave-cut terraces, depositional beach ridges, and offshore bars and spits. 2016, Robert C. Graham, A. Toby O’Geen, “Geomorphology and Soils”, in Harold Mooney, Erika Zavaleta, editors, Ecosystems of California, Oakland, Calif.: University of California Press, →ISBN, part 1 (Drivers), page 63, column 1:
Or perhaps he may see a group of washerwomen relieved, on a spit of shingle, against the blue sea, [...] 1874, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Ordered South”, in Virginibus Puerisque and Other Papers, London: C[harles] Kegan Paul & Co., […], published 1881, →OCLC, page 147:
grc ὀβελός (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · gld силпон (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · nog сис (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · nb spidd (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · es fierro (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · gl baixío (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · fa گردنا (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · cmn 嘴 (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · es espiedo (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · pl mierzeja (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · hy շամփուր (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · lv nērija (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · mk ражен (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · tr şiş (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · eve хилун (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · de Landzunge (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · ka შამფური (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · is steikingarteinn (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · mi huki (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · is grillteinn (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · ru коса́ (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · bg тесен нос (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · es spiedo (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · cmn 烤肉叉 (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · cs špíz (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · vo länalineg (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · is oddi (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · sh rážanj (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · ga bior rósta (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · es espiche (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · ca ast (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · cmn 沙嘴 (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · ota سیخ (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · ar سَفُّود (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · pt ponta (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · arz سيخ (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · bg шиш (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · az dil (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · be каса́ (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · ba ҡомайыл (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · fi kynnäs (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · lv iesms (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · es espeto (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · es espedo (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · fa بلسک (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · uk шампу́р (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · sh ра́жањ (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · el σούβλα (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · fr broche (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · it spiedo (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · gl espeto (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · fi varras (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · ru рожо́н (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · is tangi (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · egy m-a:q-F18 (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · ga bior (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · hu nyárs (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · pl rożen (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · mi tūpahipahi (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · la verū (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · ro frigare (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · es asador (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · pt espeto (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · es espetón (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · de Spieß (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · ota شیش (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · ga speir (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · es barra (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · es picudo (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · nn spidd (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · mi mataahi (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · ang spitu (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · nrf broche (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · mk провлак (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · de Nehrung (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · da tange (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · cs kosa (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · it girarrosto (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · ba шеш (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · uk роже́н (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · ja 串 (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · sv spett (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · et säär (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · et varras (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · cs rožeň (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · lv zemes strēle (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · fa سیخ (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · ru шампу́р (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · lt nerija (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · syc ܫܦܘܕܐ (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · vec spéo (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · uk коса́ (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · ba ҡомаяҡ (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · da spid (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · id bura (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · hy շիշ (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · nl spit (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · et maasäär (generally low, narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula) · ar سِيخ (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking) · ru ве́ртел (thin rod on which meat is skewered for cooking)
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.
Meanings
(transitive) To impale on a spit; to pierce with a sharp object.
Fried or roast mice, spitted on sticks like kebabs, are often offered for sale by the roadside. 1991, I. F. La Croix, E. A. S. La Croix, T. M. La Croix, “Malaŵi: Climate and Geography”, in Orchids of Malaŵi: The Epiphytic and Terrestrial Orchids from South and East Central Africa, Rotterdam; Brookfield, Vt.: A[ugust] A[imé] Balkema, →ISBN, page 4, column 2:
[W]hy in a moment looke to ſee / The blind and bloody Souldier, with foule hand / Deſire the Locks of your ſhrill-ſhriking Daughters: / Your Fathers taken by the ſiluer Bears, / And their moſt reuerend Heads daſht to the Walls: / Your naked Infants ſpitted vpon Pykes, / Whiles the mad Mothers, with their howles confus'd, / Doe breake the Clouds, [...] / What ſay you? Will you yeeld, and thus auoyd? / Or guiltie in defence, be thus destroy'd. 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii], page 79, column 1:
to spit a loin of veal
[H]e has seen kitchens thrown into turmoil, and he himself has been down in the grey-green hour before dawn, when the brick ovens are swabbed out ready for the first batch of loaves, as carcasses are spitted, pots set on trivets, poultry plucked and jointed. 2012, Hilary Mantel, “Falcons: Wiltshire, September 1535”, in Bring Up the Bodies, London: Fourth Estate, →ISBN, part 1:
(transitive) To use a spit to cook; to attend to food that is cooking on a spit.
She’s spitting the roast in the kitchen.
Moll. Ha's my Mother ſeene him yet. / Frail[ty]. O no, ſhee's—ſpitting in the Kitchin. 1607, W. S. [attributed to Thomas Middleton or William Shakespeare (doubtful)], The Pvritaine. Or The VViddovv of Watling-streete. […], imprinted at London: By G[eorge] Eld, →OCLC, Act II:
[H]e saw that the fires scattered all over the massive camp were emitting greasy fumes from the carcasses of the burning animals spitted over the flames. 2005, Gary Alan Wassner, chapter 36, in The Twins, Port Orchard, Wash.: Windstorm Creative, →ISBN; republished London: Gateway, 2014, →ISBN:
Forms
Spelling
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Labels
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spitted
Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
spitted
Tense=Past
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spits
Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres
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spitting
Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
Translations (13)
gl espichar (to impale on a spit) · fr embrocher (to impale on a spit) · da spidde (to impale on a spit) · ru насаживать (to impale on a spit) · es espetar (to impale on a spit) · de aufspießen (to impale on a spit) · mi huki (to impale on a spit) · tr şişlemek (to impale on a spit) · hu nyársra húz (to impale on a spit) · ota شیشلمك (to impale on a spit) · gl espetar (to impale on a spit) · pt espetar (to impale on a spit) · bg набождам (to impale on a spit)
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.
Meanings
(uncountable) Saliva, especially when expectorated.
Sometimes your body doesn't make as much spit as it needs. When you sleep, your salivary glands take a bit of a snooze too. You're still making spit, but not as much. This is why your mouth feels dry when you wake up. 2010, Connie Colwell Miller, “How Spit Happens”, in The Slimy Book of Spit (The Amazingly Gross Human Body), Mankato, Minn.: Edge Books, Capstone Press, →ISBN, page 19:
There was spit all over the washbasin.
[T]hey marked their truce by each of them, Aesir and Vanir alike, one by one spitting into a vat. As their spit mingled, so was their agreement made binding. 2017, Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 108:
(countable) An instance of spitting; specifically, a light fall of rain or snow.
It was early winter in the southern continent, a season of rain and winds and mud, and indeed coals in a nearby brazier hissed with a few spits of rain. 2015, Col Buchanan, “Return of the King”, in The Black Dream, London: Tor Books, →ISBN:
(countable, uncountable) Likeness; used, usually in set phrases (see spitting image) of a person who exactly resembles someone else.
Lots of people claimed she was the image of her father (about the same number who saw her as the dead spit of her mother), which was a little disconcerting. 2011, Kate Konopicky, “Worn-Out Genes”, in A Woman Of No Importance: A Tenderly Observed, Ruthlessly Honest and Hilariously Funny Memoir about the Joys and Horrors of Motherhood, Ebury Publishing:
[…] according to some of the elders of the village, young Philip was the “very spit” of his father, as they once remembered him […] 1840, The Court Magazine & Monthly Critic and Lady's Magazine, page 405:
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.
Meanings
(ambitransitive) To evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.
Yes there were times, I'm sure you knew/When I bit off more than I could chew/But through it all, when there was doubt/I ate it up and spit it out. 1969, “My Way”, Paul Anka (lyrics), Claude François (music)performed by Frank Sinatra:
The 47-year-old had allegedly been spat at by a passenger at London Victoria who said he had the virus, although a subsequent police investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone. 2020 October 21, “Network News: Belly Mujinga”, in Rail, page 11:
At the very moment he cried out, David realised that what he had run into was only the Christmas tree. Disgusted with himself at such cowardice, he spat a needle from his mouth, stepped back from the tree and listened. There were no sounds of any movement upstairs: no shouts, no sleepy grumbles, only a gentle tinkle from the decorations as the tree had recovered from the collision. 1994, Stephen Fry, chapter 2, in The Hippopotamus, London: Hutchinson, →ISBN, page 25; republished London: Arrow Books, Random House Group, 1995, →ISBN, pages 39–40:
And they ſpit upon him [Jesus Christ], and tooke the reed, and ſmote him on the head. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 27:30:
When the mighty duststorm, silent and terrifying, first engulfed her, she thought she would choke. Spitting dust from her dry lips, she ran indoors to protect the children, and found them coughing. 1974, James A[lbert] Michener, “Drylands”, in Centennial, New York, N.Y.: Random House, →ISBN; Dial Press trade paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Dial Press, 2015, →ISBN, page 931:
Aquil[ina]. […] pray vvhat Beast vvill your VVorship pleaſe to be next? / Anto[nio]. Novv I'l be a Senator agen, and thy Lover little Nicky Nacky! [He ſits by her.] Ah toad, toad, toad, toad! ſpit in my Face a little, Nacky—ſpit in my Face prithee, ſpit in my Face, never ſo little: […] 1682, Thomas Otway, Venice Preserv’d, or, A Plot Discover’d. A Tragedy. […], London: […] Jos[eph] Hindmarsh […], →OCLC, Act III, scene [i], pages 26–27:
(ambitransitive) To emit or expel in a manner similar to evacuating saliva from the mouth.
a hot pan spitting droplets of fat
The wag zigzagged across the field, bumping over ruts in the soil and tangled grass as a stream of bullets followed them from the high-mounted railguns, spitting sparks from the metal sides of the wag. 2015 May, James Axler [pseudonym; Rik Hoskin], chapter 6, in Hell’s Maw (Outlanders; 73), Don Mills, Ont.: Gold Eagle Books, Worldwide Library, →ISBN, page 73:
(impersonal) To rain or snow slightly.
Does it rain? — It's nobbut spitting a bit. 1897 June 19, Halifax Courier, quoted in 1903, Joseph Wright, English Dialect Dictionary, "spit"
It had been "spitting" with rain for the last half-hour, and now it began to pour in good earnest. 1834 October, “Boz” [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “The Steam Excursion”, in Sketches by “Boz,” Illustrative of Every-day Life, and Every-day People. […], volume II, London: John Macrone, […], published 1836, →OCLC, page 310:
"There! now, Strickland, I know all about what you intend to say, and therefore need not be told; but see, it spits with rain, 'tis late, Graham's turned in, let's below; […] 1830, Edward Lane, The Fugitives; Or, a Trip to Canada, page 485:
It spits snow this afternoon. Saw a flock of snowbirds on the Walden road. I see them so commonly when it is beginning to snow that I am inclined to regard them as a sign of a snow-storm. 1851 December 24, Henry David Thoreau, “December, 1851 (Æt[atis] 34)”, in Bradford Torrey, editor, The Writings of Henry David Thoreau: Journal, volumes III (September 16, 1851 – April 30, 1852), Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton Mifflin and Company, published 1906, →OCLC, page 153:
(ambitransitive) To utter (something) violently.
"Why, you little emasculated Don Juan— You—" he spat an unmentionable name— "d'you think I'd fight one of your tin-soldier farces with you? Clear out!" 1915, Amélie Rives (Princess Troubetzkoy), chapter XXXIX, in Shadows of Flames: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Frederick A[bbott] Stokes Company, →OCLC, page 240:
"Gentleman? You?" he spat. 2004, Mark Gatiss, “The Mystery of the Two Geologists”, in The Vesuvius Club: A Bit of Fluff (A Lucifer Box Novel), New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN; republished New York, N.Y.: Pocket Books, 2005, →ISBN, page 23:
(intransitive) To make a spitting sound, like an angry cat.
(qualifier:African-American Vernacular, slang, transitive) To rap, to utter.
Didn't matter if I was out there spittin' on the mic or breaking ankles on the court, the best feeling in the world was performing in front of thousands of fans who couldn't stop screaming my name. 2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 19:
[…] mutating into all-star line-ups of emcees spitting hot bars over familiar beats, then to a single crew spitting bars over familiar beats, then eventually to a single crew (or artist) spitting bars over unfamiliar beats. 2021, Jehnie I. Burns, Mixtape Nostalgia: Culture, Memory, and Representation, page 138:
A group of black guys were spitting rhymes in the corner, slapping hands and egging one another on. 2005, Giselle Zado Wasfie, So Fly, New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Griffin, →ISBN:
(humorous, intransitive, qualifier:African-American Vernacular, slang) (in the form spitting) To spit facts; to tell the truth.
qu thuqay (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ka გადაფურთხება (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · zku tadlibandi (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · cic tofa (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · bg хра́ча (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · az tüpürmək (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ru плева́ть (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · pl splunąć (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · rm spidar (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · uli giutlaog (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · oc escopir (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · km ខ្ជាក់ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · kmr tif kirin (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · pl plunąć (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · cmn 噴放 /喷放 (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · os ту кӕнын (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · tl dumura (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · be плява́ць (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · lv spļaut (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · eve тумнидай (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · af spoeg (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · nb spytte (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ca escopinar (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · uk наплюва́ти (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · tet tafui (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · cmn 吐口 (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · rap aanu (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ba төкөрөү (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · tsg lumura (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · nl spuwen (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · km ខាក (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · la spuō (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · th ถุย (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · vi khạc nhổ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · mnc ᠴᡳᡶᡝᠯᡝᠮᠪᡳ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · yua ch'iin (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · uk плю́нути (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · vo spukön (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · akl tupea (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ja つばを吐く (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · et sülgama (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · xag 𐕉𐕒𐕡 (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · hu köp (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · zu -fela (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · is hrækja (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · mi tuha (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · mnw ကၠာတ် (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · km ខ្ពុរ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · gld топин- (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · hi थूकना (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ca escopir (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · sl pljuvati (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · bg плю́я (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ro scuipa (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · dsb pluwaś (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · mk ‘рка (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · da spytte (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · sk pľuť (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · sv spotta (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · lv spļauties (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ko 침을뱉다 (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · bni twa (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · km ខែក (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · bn থুতু ফেলা (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · acw تَفَّل (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · mr थुकणे (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · tyz cài (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · mbb ileb (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · alt тӱкӱрер (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ar تَفَّ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · cs plivnout (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · av тузе (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · fa تف کردن (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · as থু পেলোৱা (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · sah силлээ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · hsb pluwać (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · izh sylkiä (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · scn sputazzari (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · grc πτύω (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · gl cuspir (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · pt cuspir (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · mnw ချဟ် (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · lo ຂາກ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ms ludah (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ar تَفَلَ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · nn spytta (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · qu aqtuy (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ltg špļaut (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · scn scraccari (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · fi syljeskellä (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · duu lai (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · cmn 吐 (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · uz tupurmoq (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · cjm ꨆꨌꨭꩍ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ar بَزَقَ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ko 뱉다 (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · fur spudâ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · sq pështyj (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ln twa (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · mk плу́ка (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · fi sylkeä (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · zea spieë (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ru наплева́ть (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ka მიფურთხება (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · kk түкіру (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · hy թքել (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · la spūtō (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · eu txistu egin (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · sa ष्ठीवति (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · pl pluć (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · cs plivat (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · bcl lustab (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · hrx spucke (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · arz تَفّ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · mt beżaq (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ar بَصَقَ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · scn sputari (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · mwr थूकणौ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · got 𐍃𐍀𐌴𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌽 (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · fi sylkäistä (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · sh pljȕvati (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · fr cracher (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ky түкүрүү (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · sh пљу̏вати (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ug تۈكۈرمەك (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · cmn 吐痰 (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ksw ထူးပှဲာ် (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · tg туф кардан (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ary تفل (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · zdj hutra mare (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · eo kraĉi (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · th ขาก (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · oc escupir (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ga caith seile (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · lo ຄາຍ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · id meludah (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · so tufid (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · tr tükürmek (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ang spǣtan (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · or ଥୁକିବା (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · mn нулимах (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ur تھوکنا (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · it sputare (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · uk плюва́ти (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · es escupir (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · mba ilub (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ary بزق (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · vi nhổ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · kix thūoh (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · he יָרַק (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ka დაფურთხება (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ota توكورمك (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · be наплява́ць (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · duu dvbeq (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · la conspuō (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · cmn 咯 (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · rup ascuchiu (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · my ထွေး (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · uga 𐎆𐎔𐎘 (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · km ស្ដោះ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · zea spoege (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · be плю́нуць (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ru плю́нуть (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · tk tüýkürmek (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ium bitv (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · lt spjauti (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · zu -phimisa (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ltg spjauti (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · el φτύνω (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · mww nto (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · kk түкірту (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · de spucken (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · shi ssufs (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · lo ຖຸຽ (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · cy poeri (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · mi tuwha (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · et sülitama (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ta துப்பு (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · egy t:f-D26 (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · dsb plunuś (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · nl spugen (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · nah chihcha (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · cmn 啐 (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.) · ja 吐く (to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.)
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.
Meanings
The depth to which the blade of a spade goes into the soil when it is used for digging; a layer of soil of the depth of a spade's blade.
The firſt plantation, containing four thouſand ſix hundred oaks, was formed on part of the ancient Home Park, ſurrounding this Caſtle: the ſoil was dug one full ſpit, and the turf inverted; [...] 1792 January 1, Lewis Majendie, Transactions of the Society Instituted at London for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce; […], volume X, London: Printed by T. Spilsbury and Son, […]; and sold by Messrs. [James] Dodsley, […], →OCLC, page 4:
Soil of the usual depth may be trenched two spit (spadeful) deep; and if this is done every third year, it is evident that the surface which has produced three crops will rest for the next three years; thus giving a much better chance of constantly producing healthy and luxuriant crops, and with one half the manure that would otherwise be requisite. 1832, “Horticulture”, in David Brewster, editor, The Edinburgh Encyclopædia, [...] In Eighteen Volumes, 1st American edition, volume X, Philadelphia, Pa.: Published by Joseph and Edward Parker. […], →OCLC, page 545, column 1:
They [the potatoes] ſtood till October, when they were taken up, and a large pye made of them; which is laying them up in a heap, and covering them with ſtraw and a ſpit of earth. 1791 January 10, Samuel Dunn, Transactions of the Society Instituted at London for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce; […], volume IX, London: Printed by T. Spilsbury and Son, […]; and sold by Messrs. [James] Dodsley, […], →OCLC, page 42:
Proceed as for the single dig but start by removing two spits of topsoil to the far diagonal corner and also one spit of subsoil. Turn the exposed subsoil from hole two into hole one. Incorporate organic matter. [2006], NIIR Board of Consultants & Engineers, “Production and Management of Medicinal Plants on Farms”, in Cultivation and Processing of Selected Medicinal Plants, Delhi: Asia Pacific Business Press, →ISBN, page 82:
The amount of soil that a spade holds; a spadeful.
Dig your clay with a ſpade in ſpits of ordinary bricks; dig two, three, eight, ten or twenty loads of clay, more or leſs as you pleaſe; [...] then take theſe ſpits of clay, after they are tried in the ſun, ſurround your pile of wood with them, [...] 1795 March, Ezra L’Hommedieu, “Observations on Manures”, in Transactions of the Society, for the Promotion of Agriculture, Arts and Manufactures, Instituted in the State of New-York, 2nd revised edition, volume I, Albany, N.Y.: Printed by Charles R. and George Webster, […], published 1801, →OCLC, part III (Transactions, &c.), page 235:
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
spits
Number=Plur
lexicographic
Translations (3)
bg един бел дълбочина (depth to which the blade of a spade goes into the soil when it is used for digging) · de Spatentiefe (depth to which the blade of a spade goes into the soil when it is used for digging) · de Spaten (depth to which the blade of a spade goes into the soil when it is used for digging)
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.
Meanings
(dialectal, transitive) To dig (something) using a spade; also, to turn (the soil) using a plough.
[T]he double plough, by taking faſt hold of the mould, throws all back again; and if the vegetables are not effectually earthed up, which may be the caſe after double ſpitting the intervals, then running the double plough over again, completes the buſineſs, and ſtrangely toſſes about and mellows the mould. 1769, “PLOUGH”, in The Complete Farmer: Or, A General Dictionary of Husbandry in All Its Branches; […], 2nd corrected and improved edition, London: Printed for R. Baldwin, […], →OCLC, column 2:
(dialectal, transitive) To plant (something) using a spade.
When the [peach] seed is procured it is either "spitted in" with a spade or planted in rows in the nursery. 1882 May, J. Alexander Fulton, “Delaware Peach Orchards”, in Joseph H. Reall, editor, Agricultural Review and Journal of the American Agricultural Association, volume 2, number 2, New York, N.Y.: Agricultural Review Company, […], →OCLC, page 124:
(dialectal, intransitive) To dig, to spade.
Then the ground is "spitted" or spaded in about six or eight inches deep, as a garden is for a crop of vegetables. 1882 May, J. Alexander Fulton, “Delaware Peach Orchards”, in Joseph H. Reall, editor, Agricultural Review and Journal of the American Agricultural Association, volume 2, number 2, New York, N.Y.: Agricultural Review Company, […], →OCLC, page 124:
We left the ground, of field of loam, by ſuppoſition under two ſorts of managements; the one part very rough, and the other made as fine as circumſtances would allow; the former ploughed the uſual depth, the other double ſpitted; [...] 1758 September 2–5, “A Course of Experiments and Improvements in Agriculture, […]”, in The London Chronicle: Or, Universal Evening Post, volume IV, number 263, London: Sold by J. Wilkie, […], →OCLC, page 219, column 1: