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noun
1.
a petty quarrel.
2.
a light blow; slap; smack.
verb (used without object)
3.
to engage in a petty quarrel or dispute.
4.
to splash or spatter; rain spatting against the window.
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Spat
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
| to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. |
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
verb (used with object)
5.
to strike lightly; slap.
Origin:
1795–1805, Americanism; perhaps imitative
1795–1805, Americanism; perhaps imitative
Synonyms
1. tiff, scrap, set-to.
1. tiff, scrap, set-to.
Example Sentences
- He spat in the killer's face but walked away from the act of retribution for which he had burned so long.
- With that spat out of the way, let's move on to more substantive issues.
- But this process has been stymied by an ugly spat over the procedure for raising aid.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
verb
a simple past tense and past participle of spit1.
noun
a short gaiter worn over the instep and usually fastened under the foot with a strap, worn especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
noun
1.
the spawn of an oyster or similar shellfish.
2.
young oysters collectively.
3.
a young oyster.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English; origin uncertain
1350–1400; Middle English; origin uncertain
verb (used without object)
1.
to eject saliva from the mouth; expectorate.
2.
to express hatred, contempt, etc., by or as if by ejecting saliva from the mouth.
3.
to sputter: grease spitting on the fire.
4.
to fall in scattered drops or flakes, as rain or snow.
verb (used with object)
5.
to eject from the mouth: The children were spitting watermelon seeds over the fence.
6.
to throw out or emit like saliva: The kettle spits boiling water over the stove.
7.
to set a flame to.
noun
Verb phrase8.
saliva, especially when ejected.
9.
the act of spitting.
10.
Entomology. Also called spittle. the frothy secretion exuded by spittlebugs.
11.
a light fall of rain or snow.
12.
Idiomspit up, to vomit; throw up: The wounded soldier spat up blood. If you jostle the baby, she'll spit up.
13.
spit and image, Informal. exact likeness; counterpart: Hunched over his desk, pen in hand, he was the spit and image of his father at work. Also, spitting image, spit 'n' image.
Origin:
before 950; (v.) Middle English spitten, Old English spittan; cognate with German (dial.) spitzen to spit; akin to Old English spǣtan to spit, spātl spittle; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v.
before 950; (v.) Middle English spitten, Old English spittan; cognate with German (dial.) spitzen to spit; akin to Old English spǣtan to spit, spātl spittle; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v.
Related forms
spit·like, adjective
Synonyms
3. spatter.
3. spatter.
noun
1.
a pointed rod or bar for thrusting through and holding meat that is to be cooked before or over a fire.
2.
any of various rods, pins, or the like used for particular purposes.
3.
a narrow point of land projecting into the water.
4.
a long, narrow shoal extending from the shore.
verb (used with object)
5.
to pierce, stab, or transfix, as with a spit; impale on something sharp.
6.
to thrust a spit into or through.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English spite, Old English spitu; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German spit, spet, Old High German spiz spit; akin to Old Norse spīta peg
before 1000; Middle English spite, Old English spitu; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German spit, spet, Old High German spiz spit; akin to Old Norse spīta peg
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To Spat
Collins
| spat2 (spæt) | |
| —vb | |
| a past tense and past participle of spit | |
| spat3 (spæt) | |
| —n | |
| another name for gaiter | |
| [C19: short for | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
spat
"petty quarrel," 1804, Amer.Eng., of unknown origin; perhaps somehow imitative (cf. spat "smack, slap," attested from 1823).
EXPANDspat
"short gaiter covering the ankle," 1779, shortening of spatterdash "long gaiter to keep trousers or stockings from being spattered with mud" (1687), from spatter and dash (v.).
spit
"sharp-pointed rod on which meat is roasted," O.E. spitu, from P.Gmc. *spituz (cf. M.Du. spit, Swed. spett, O.H.G. spiz, Ger. Spieß "spit," Ger. spitz "pointed"), from PIE *spei- "sharp point" (see spike (n.1)). This is also the source of the word meaning "sandy point"
EXPAND(1670s). O.Fr. espois, Sp. espeto "spit" are Gmc. loan-words. The verb meaning "to put on a spit" is recorded from c.1200.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Word Dynamo Rating For Spat
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