spit Definition

spit¹
verb spat (past tense, past participle), spit, spitting (present participle)

tr & intr
1a. To expel (saliva or phlegm) from the mouth;
intr
1b. To do this as a gesture of contempt.

Example: spat in his face
2. To eject (eg food) forcefully out of the mouth.

Form: spit out (also)
3. Said of a fire, fat or oil in a pan, etc: to throw off (a spark of hot coal, oil, etc) in a spurt or spurts.
4. To speak or utter with contempt, hate, violence, etc.
intr
5. Said of rain or snow: to fall in light intermittent drops or flakes.
6. Said especially of a cat: to make a hissing noise in anger, hostility, aggression, etc.

noun

1. Spittle; a blob of saliva or phlegm that has been spat from the mouth.
2. An act of spitting.

Derivative: spitter
noun

Derivative: spitting
noun, adj

Idiom: be (with)in spitting distance (of) (lie etc (with)in spitting distance (of))

To be very close by.
Example: The flat's within spitting distance of the office

Idiom: the spit (the very spit)

colloq
An exact likeness; a spitting image.
Example: She's the very spit of her mother

Idiom: spit blood

To be utterly furious.

Idiom: spit it out

colloq
Usually said as a command: to say what one has been hesitating to say
Example: Come on, spit it out! Are you saying I'm a liar?

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon spittan.

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spit²
noun

1a. A long thin metal rod on which meat is skewered and held over a fire for roasting;
1b. A similar device in a gas or electric cooker or oven.
2. A long narrow strip of land that juts out into the water.

verb spitted, spitting

1. To put (a piece of meat, etc) on a spit.
2. To pierce or stab with something sharp.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon spitu.

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spit³
verb

spitted, spitting
1. To dig or plant using a spade.

noun

1. A spade's depth or a spadeful.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon spittan.