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Definition of pit - 19 dictionary results
Wilke's Badass Pits
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pit

1  [pit] noun, verb, pit⋅ted, pit⋅ting.
Use pit in a Sentence
–noun
1. a naturally formed or excavated hole or cavity in the ground: pits caused by erosion; clay pits.
2. a covered or concealed excavation in the ground, serving as a trap.
3. Mining.
a. an excavation made in exploring for or removing a mineral deposit, as by open-cut methods.
b. the shaft of a coal mine.
c. the mine itself.
4. the abode of evil spirits and lost souls; hell: an evil inspiration from the pit.
5. the pits, Slang. an extremely unpleasant, boring, or depressing place, condition, person, etc.; the absolute worst: When you're alone, Christmas is the pits.
6. a hollow or indentation in a surface: glass flawed by pits.
7. a natural hollow or depression in the body: the pit of the back.
8. pits, Informal. the armpits: up to my pits in work.
9. a small, depressed scar, as one of those left on the skin after smallpox or chicken pox.
10. an enclosure, usually below the level of the spectators, as for staging fights between dogs, cocks, or, formerly, bears.
11. (in a commodity exchange) a part of the floor of the exchange where trading in a particular commodity takes place: the corn pit.
12. Architecture.
a. all that part of the main floor of a theater behind the musicians.
b. British. the main floor of a theater behind the stalls.
c. orchestra (def. 2a).
13. (in a hoistway) a space below the level of the lowest floor served.
14. Auto Racing. an area at the side of a track, for servicing and refueling the cars.
15. Bowling. the sunken area of a bowling alley behind the pins, for the placement or recovery of pins that have been knocked down.
16. Track. the area forward of the takeoff point in a jumping event, as the broad jump or pole vault, that is filled with sawdust or soft earth to lessen the force of the jumper's landing.
17. the area or room of a casino containing gambling tables.
–verb (used with object)
18. to mark or indent with pits or depressions: ground pitted by erosion.
19. to scar with pockmarks: His forehead was pitted by chicken pox.
20. to place or bury in a pit, as for storage.
21. to set in opposition or combat, as one against another.
22. to put (animals) in a pit or enclosure for fighting.
–verb (used without object)
23. to become marked with pits or depressions.
24. (of body tissue) to retain temporarily a mark of pressure, as by a finger, instrument, etc.
Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME; OE pytt < L puteus well, pit, shaft; (v.) deriv. of the n.

Synonyms:
21. match, oppose.

pit

2  [pit] noun, verb, pit⋅ted, pit⋅ting. Chiefly Northern U.S.
–noun
1. the stone of a fruit, as of a cherry, peach, or plum.
–verb (used with object)
2. to remove the pit from (a fruit or fruits): to pit cherries for a pie.
Origin:
1835–45, Americanism; < D: kernel; c. pith

Pit River

  [pit]
–noun
a river in N California, flowing S and W from the Modoc Plateau to the Sacramento River. 200 mi. (320 km) long.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To pit
pit 1   (pĭt)   
n.  
  1. A natural or artificial hole or cavity in the ground.
    1. An excavation for the removal of mineral deposits; a mine.
    2. The shaft of a mine.
    3. Hell.
    4. A miserable or depressing place or situation.
    5. pits Slang The worst. Used with the: "New York politics are the pits" (Washington Star).
    6. A natural hollow or depression in the body or an organ.
    7. A small indented scar left in the skin by smallpox or other eruptive disease; a pockmark.
    8. Informal An armpit. Often used in the plural.
    9. The section directly in front of and below the stage of a theater, in which the musicians sit.
    10. Chiefly British The ground floor of a theater behind the stalls.
    11. The section of an exchange where trading in a specific commodity is carried on.
    12. The gambling area of a casino.
    13. A sunken area in a garage floor from which mechanics may work on cars.
    14. Sports An area beside an auto racecourse where cars may be refueled or serviced during a race. Used with the. Often used in the plural.
  3. A concealed hole in the ground used as a trap; a pitfall.
    1. Hell.
    2. A miserable or depressing place or situation.
    3. pits Slang The worst. Used with the: "New York politics are the pits" (Washington Star).
    4. A natural hollow or depression in the body or an organ.
    5. A small indented scar left in the skin by smallpox or other eruptive disease; a pockmark.
    6. Informal An armpit. Often used in the plural.
    7. The section directly in front of and below the stage of a theater, in which the musicians sit.
    8. Chiefly British The ground floor of a theater behind the stalls.
    9. The section of an exchange where trading in a specific commodity is carried on.
    10. The gambling area of a casino.
    11. A sunken area in a garage floor from which mechanics may work on cars.
    12. Sports An area beside an auto racecourse where cars may be refueled or serviced during a race. Used with the. Often used in the plural.
  5. A small indentation in a surface: pits in a windshield.
    1. A natural hollow or depression in the body or an organ.
    2. A small indented scar left in the skin by smallpox or other eruptive disease; a pockmark.
    3. Informal An armpit. Often used in the plural.
    4. The section directly in front of and below the stage of a theater, in which the musicians sit.
    5. Chiefly British The ground floor of a theater behind the stalls.
    6. The section of an exchange where trading in a specific commodity is carried on.
    7. The gambling area of a casino.
    8. A sunken area in a garage floor from which mechanics may work on cars.
    9. Sports An area beside an auto racecourse where cars may be refueled or serviced during a race. Used with the. Often used in the plural.
  7. An enclosed, usually sunken area in which animals, such as dogs or gamecocks, are placed for fighting.
    1. The section directly in front of and below the stage of a theater, in which the musicians sit.
    2. Chiefly British The ground floor of a theater behind the stalls.
    3. The section of an exchange where trading in a specific commodity is carried on.
    4. The gambling area of a casino.
    5. A sunken area in a garage floor from which mechanics may work on cars.
    6. Sports An area beside an auto racecourse where cars may be refueled or serviced during a race. Used with the. Often used in the plural.
    1. The section of an exchange where trading in a specific commodity is carried on.
    2. The gambling area of a casino.
    3. A sunken area in a garage floor from which mechanics may work on cars.
    4. Sports An area beside an auto racecourse where cars may be refueled or serviced during a race. Used with the. Often used in the plural.
    1. A sunken area in a garage floor from which mechanics may work on cars.
    2. Sports An area beside an auto racecourse where cars may be refueled or serviced during a race. Used with the. Often used in the plural.
  11. Football The middle areas of the defensive and offensive lines.
  12. Botany A cavity in the wall of a plant cell where there is no secondary wall, as in fibers, tracheids, and vessels.
v.   pit·ted, pit·ting, pits

v.   tr.
  1. To mark with cavities, depressions, or scars: a surface pitted with craters.
  2. To set in direct opposition or competition: a war that pitted brother against brother.
  3. To place, bury, or store in a pit.
v.   intr.
  1. To become marked with pits.
  2. To retain an impression after being indented. Used of the skin.
  3. To stop at a refueling area during an auto race.

[Middle English, from Old English pytt, ultimately from Latin puteus, well; see pau-2 in Indo-European roots.]
pit 2   (pĭt)   
n.  The single central kernel or stone of certain fruits, such as a peach or cherry.
tr.v.   pit·ted, pit·ting, pits
To extract the pit from (a fruit).

[Dutch, from Middle Dutch.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Pit

Pit\, n. [OE. pit, put, AS. pytt a pit, hole, L. puteus a well, pit.]

1. A large cavity or hole in the ground, either natural or artificial; a cavity in the surface of a body; an indentation; specifically: (a) The shaft of a coal mine; a coal pit. (b) A large hole in the ground from which material is dug or quarried; as, a stone pit; a gravel pit; or in which material is made by burning; as, a lime pit; a charcoal pit. (c) A vat sunk in the ground; as, a tan pit.

Tumble me into some loathsome pit. --Shak.

2. Any abyss; especially, the grave, or hades.

Back to the infernal pit I drag thee chained. --Milton.

He keepth back his soul from the pit. --Job xxxiii. 18.

3. A covered deep hole for entrapping wild beasts; a pitfall; hence, a trap; a snare. Also used figuratively.

The anointed of the Lord was taken in their pits. --Lam. iv. 20.

4. A depression or hollow in the surface of the human body; as: (a) The hollow place under the shoulder or arm; the axilla, or armpit. (b) See Pit of the stomach (below). (c) The indentation or mark left by a pustule, as in smallpox.

5. Formerly, that part of a theater, on the floor of the house, below the level of the stage and behind the orchestra; now, in England, commonly the part behind the stalls; in the United States, the parquet; also, the occupants of such a part of a theater.

6. An inclosed area into which gamecocks, dogs, and other animals are brought to fight, or where dogs are trained to kill rats. "As fiercely as two gamecocks in the pit." --Locke.

7. [Cf. D. pit, akin to E. pith.] (Bot.) (a) The endocarp of a drupe, and its contained seed or seeds; a stone; as, a peach pit; a cherry pit, etc. (b) A depression or thin spot in the wall of a duct.

Cold pit (Hort.), an excavation in the earth, lined with masonry or boards, and covered with glass, but not artificially heated, -- used in winter for the storing and protection of half-hardly plants, and sometimes in the spring as a forcing bed.

Pit coal, coal dug from the earth; mineral coal.

Pit frame, the framework over the shaft of a coal mine.

Pit head, the surface of the ground at the mouth of a pit or mine.

Pit kiln, an oven for coking coal.

Pit martin (Zo["o]l.), the bank swallow. [Prov. Eng.]

Pit of the stomach (Anat.), the depression on the middle line of the epigastric region of the abdomen at the lower end of the sternum; the infrasternal depression.

Pit saw (Mech.), a saw worked by two men, one of whom stands on the log and the other beneath it. The place of the latter is often in a pit, whence the name.

Pit viper (Zo["o]l.), any viperine snake having a deep pit on each side of the snout. The rattlesnake and copperhead are examples.

Working pit (Min.), a shaft in which the ore is hoisted and the workmen carried; -- in distinction from a shaft used for the pumps.

Pit

Pit\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pitted; p. pr. & vb. n. Pitting.]

1. To place or put into a pit or hole.

They lived like beasts, and were pitted like beasts, tumbled into the grave. --T. Grander.

2. To mark with little hollows, as by various pustules; as, a face pitted by smallpox.

3. To introduce as an antagonist; to set forward for or in a contest; as, to pit one dog against another.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : pit
Spanish: hoyo, foso, fosa,
German: die Grube,
Japanese: 穴
More Translations »

pit  (1)
"hole," O.E. pytt "water hole, pit," from W.Gmc. *puttjaz "pool, puddle" (cf. O.E. putti, O.N. pyttr, Du. put, Ger. Pfütze), early borrowing from L. puteus "well, pit, shaft." Meaning "abode of evil spirits, hell" is attested from c.1225. The verb meaning "set against, oppose," is first recorded 1760, from the pit (1568) where cock fights and dog fights were held (cf. Pit-bull terrier first recorded 1945). This is also the notion behind the meaning "the part of a theater on the floor of the house" (1649). Pit of the stomach (1651) is from the slight depression there between the ribs. Pits "the worst," first attested 1953, U.S. slang, said to be a shortened form of armpits.

pit  (2)
"hard seed," 1841, from Du. pit "kernel, seed, marrow," from M.Du. pitte, ult. from W.Gmc. *pithan-, source of Eng. pith (q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Pit

A specific area of the trading floor that is designated for the trading of an individual futures or options contract.

Investopedia Commentary

You've probably seen pictures of traders wildly thrashing their arms and yelling orders in the trading pit. Although it may look like a poorly coordinated Village People concert, there is actual trading going on.

Related Links

Understanding Order Execution
Options Basics Tutorial
Futures Fundamentals

See also: Open Outcry, Rings

Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.
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pit

A location on a commodities exchange trading floor where the futures of a particular commodity are traded. Also called ring.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Main Entry: 1pit
Pronunciation: 'pit
Function: noun
: a hollow or indentation especially in a surface of an organism: as a : anatural hollow in the surface of the body b : one of the indented scars left in the skin by a pustular disease : POCKMARK c : a usually developmental imperfection in the enamel of a tooth that takes the form of a small pointed depression

Main Entry: 2pit
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: pit·ted; pit·ting
transitive senses
: to make pits in;especially : to scar or mark with pits pitted by acne> pit intransitive senses
: to become marked with pits; especially : to preserve for a time an indentation made by pressure pits readily —A. B. Wade>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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pit (pĭt)
n.

  1. A natural hollow or depression in the body or an organ.
  2. A pockmark.
  3. A sharp-pointed depression in the enamel surface of a tooth, caused by faulty or incomplete calcification or formed by the confluent point of two or more lobes of enamel.
v. pit·ted, pit·ting, pits
  1. To mark with cavities, depressions, or scars.
  2. To retain an impression after being indented. Used of the skin.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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pit   (pĭt)  Pronunciation Key 
The hard, inner layer (the endocarp) of certain drupes that are valued for their flesh, such as peaches, cherries, or olives. Not in scientific use.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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PIT
Language for IBM 650. (See IT).

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Pit

a hole in the ground (Ex. 21:33, 34), a cistern for water (Gen. 37:24; Jer. 14:3), a vault (41:9), a grave (Ps. 30:3). It is used as a figure for mischief (Ps. 9:15), and is the name given to the unseen place of woe (Rev. 20:1, 3). The slime-pits in the vale of Siddim were wells which yielded asphalt (Gen. 14:10).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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pit

In addition to the idiom beginning with pit, also see the pits.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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PIT
  1. Greater Pittsburgh International Airport
  2. Pittsburgh Pirates
  3. Pittsburgh Steelers
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see pit on Thesaurus | Reference
Wilke's Badass Pits
 Unique Fire Pits Made In The USA! If It's Badass We Build It!
 www.wilkesbadasspits.com
Pittsburgh Parking
 Save on Pittsburgh Airport Parking Get the best rates. Free Shuttle!
 www.AirportParkingReservations.com