spit

spit
\ \ English has two words spit in current usage. Spiteject saliva’ [OE] is one of a sizable group of English words beginning sp- which denote ‘ejecting or discharging liquid’. Others include spew [OE], spout [14], spurt [16], and sputter [16]. They all go back ultimately to an Indo- European base *spyēu-, *spyū-, etc, imitative of the sound of spitting, which also produced Latin spuerespit’ (source of English cuspidor [18] and sputum [17]). The immediate source of spit itself was the prehistoric Germanic base *spit-, a variant of which, *spāt-, produced English spittle [15] (originally spattle, but changed through association with spit). Spit for roasting things on [OE] comes from a prehistoric Germanic *spituz, which also produced German spiess and Dutch spit.
\ \ Cf.CUSPIDOR, SPEW, SPOUT, SPURT, SPUTTER, SPUTUM

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Spit — may refer to: *Spitting, the act of forcibly expelling from the mouth ** Spit, another word for saliva *Spit (archaeology) an archaeological term for a unit of archaeological excavation *Spit (landform), a section of land that extends into a body …   Wikipedia

  • spit — Ⅰ. spit [1] ► VERB (spitting; past and past part. spat or spit) 1) eject saliva forcibly from one s mouth. 2) forcibly eject (food or liquid) from one s mouth. 3) say in a hostile way. 4) (o …   English terms dictionary

  • spit — spit1 [spit] n. [ME spite < OE spitu, akin to OHG spizzi, sharp: for IE base see SPIKE1] 1. a thin, pointed rod or bar on which meat is impaled for broiling or roasting over a fire or before other direct heat 2. a narrow point of land, or a… …   English World dictionary

  • Spit — Spit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spitted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Spitting}.] [From {Spit}, n.; cf. {Speet}.] 1. To thrust a spit through; to fix upon a spit; hence, to thrust through or impale; as, to spit a loin of veal. Infants spitted upon pikes. Shak.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Spit — Spit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spit} ({Spat}, archaic); p. pr. & vb. n. {Spitting}.] [AS. spittan; akin to G. sp[ u]tzen, Dan. spytte, Sw. spotta,Icel. sp?ta, and prob. E. spew. The past tense spat is due to AS. sp?tte, from sp?tan to spit. Cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Spit — Spit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spit} ({Spat}, archaic); p. pr. & vb. n. {Spitting}.] [AS. spittan; akin to G. sp[ u]tzen, Dan. spytte, Sw. spotta,Icel. sp?ta, and prob. E. spew. The past tense spat is due to AS. sp?tte, from sp?tan to spit. Cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Spit — Студийный альбом Kittie …   Википедия

  • spit — vb, spit or spat spat; spit·ting vt to eject (as saliva) from the mouth vi to eject saliva from the mouth spit n SALIVA …   Medical dictionary

  • spit up — {v.} To vomit a little. * /The baby always spits up when he is burped./ * /Put a bib on the baby. I don t want him to spit up on his clean clothes./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • spit up — {v.} To vomit a little. * /The baby always spits up when he is burped./ * /Put a bib on the baby. I don t want him to spit up on his clean clothes./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Spit — Spit, v. i. To attend to a spit; to use a spit. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] She s spitting in the kitchen. Old Play. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”