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spat

 - 16 dictionary results
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spat

1  [spat] ,noun, verb, spat⋅ted, spat⋅ting.
Use spat in a Sentence
–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.
–verb (used with object)
5. to strike lightly; slap.
Origin:
1795–1805, Americanism; perh. imit.

Synonyms:
1. tiff, scrap, set-to.
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spat

2  [spat] ,
–verb
a pt. and pp. of spit 1 .

spat

3  [spat] ,
–noun
a short gaiter worn over the instep and usually fastened under the foot with a strap, worn esp. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Origin:
1795–1805; short for spatterdash

spat

4  [spat] ,
–noun
1. the spawn of an oyster or similar shellfish.
2. young oysters collectively.
3. a young oyster.
4. seed oyster.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME; orig. uncert.

spit

1  [spit] verb, spit or spat, spit⋅ting, noun
–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
8. saliva, esp. when ejected.
9. the act of spitting.
10. Entomology. spittle.
11. a light fall of rain or snow.
—Verb phrase
12. spit up, to vomit; throw up: The wounded soldier spat up blood. If you jostle the baby, she'll spit up.
—Idiom
13. spit and image. Also, spitting image, spit 'n' image. Informal. exact likeness; counterpart: Hunched over his desk, pen in hand, he was the spit and image of his father at work.
Origin:
bef. 950; (v.) ME spitten, OE spittan; c. G (dial.) spitzen to spit; akin to OE spǣtan to spit, spātl spittle; (n.) ME, deriv. of the v.

Related forms:
spitlike, adjective

Synonyms:
3. spatter.

spit

2  [spit] noun, verb, spit⋅ted, spit⋅ting.
–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:
bef. 1000; ME spite, OE spitu; c. MD, MLG spit, spet, OHG spiz spit; akin to ON spīta peg
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To spat
spat 1   (spāt)   
v.  A past tense and a past participle of spit1.
spat 2   (spāt)   
n.   pl. spat or spats

  1. An oyster or similar bivalve mollusk in the larval stage, especially when it settles to the bottom and begins to develop a shell.

  2. The spawn of an oyster or a similar mollusk.

intr.v.   spat·ted, spat·ting, spats
To spawn. Used of oysters and similar mollusks.

[Middle English.]
spat 3   (spāt)   
n.  A cloth or leather gaiter covering the shoe upper and the ankle and fastening under the shoe with a strap: The waiter wore spats as part of his uniform.

[Short for spatterdash : spatter + dash1.]
spat 4   (spāt)   
n.  

  1. A brief quarrel.

  2. Informal A slap or smack.

  3. A spattering sound, as of raindrops.

v.   spat·ted, spat·ting, spats

v.   intr.

  1. To engage in a brief quarrel.

  2. To strike with a light spattering sound; slap.

v.   tr. Informal
To slap.

[Origin unknown.]
spit 1   (spĭt)   
n.  

  1. Saliva, especially when expectorated; spittle.

  2. The act of expectorating.

  3. Something, such as the frothy secretion of spittle bugs, that resembles spit.

  4. A brief, scattered rainfall or snowfall.

  5. Informal The perfect likeness: He's the spit and image of his father.

v.   spat (spāt) or spit, spit·ting, spits

v.   tr.

  1. To eject from the mouth: spat out the grape seeds.

  2. To eject as if from the mouth: a fire spitting sparks.

  3. To emit suddenly and forcefully: spat out an insult.

v.   intr.

  1. To eject matter from the mouth; expectorate.

  2. To express contempt or animosity by or as if by ejecting matter from the mouth.

  3. To make a hissing or sputtering noise.

  4. To rain or snow in light, scattered drops or flakes.

Phrasal Verb(s):
spit upTo vomit.

[Middle English, from spitten, to spit, from Old English spittan, ultimately of imitative origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

spat  (1)
"petty quarrel," 1804, Amer.Eng., of unknown origin; perhaps somehow imitative (cf. spat "smack, slap," attested from 1823).

spat  (2)
"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  (v.)
"expel saliva," O.E. spittan (Anglian), spætan (W.Saxon), from PIE *sp(y)eu-, of imitative origin (see spew). Not the usual O.E. word for this; spætlan (see spittle) and spiwan (see spew) are more common. Meaning "to eject saliva (at someone or something) as a gesture of contempt" is in O.E. The noun is attested from c.1300. Meaning "the very likeness" is attested from 1602 (e.g. spitting image, attested from 1901); cf. Fr. craché in same sense. Military phrase spit and polish first recorded 1895. Spitball is from 1846 in the schoolboy sense, 1905 in the baseball sense.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: spat
past and past participle of SPIT

Main Entry: 2spit
Function: noun
: SALIVA
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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