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Added 8 October 2026

spit

/spɪt/ noun

In Latin: verū Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about spit at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A narrow strip of land that juts out into the sea.
A clear liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands of the mouth; moistens the mouth and starts the digestion of starches.
A skewer for holding meat over a fire.

verb

Expel or eject (saliva or phlegm or sputum) from the mouth.
The father of the victim spat at the alleged murderer
Utter with anger or contempt.
Rain gently.
It has only sprinkled, but the roads are slick

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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