Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Nearby Entries
spitfire - 4 dictionary results

spit⋅fire

  [spit-fahyuhr]
Use spitfire in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person, esp. a girl or woman, who is of fiery temper and easily provoked to outbursts.
2. (initial capital letter) a British fighter plane with a single in-line engine used by the R.A.F. throughout World War II.
Origin:
1590–1600; spit 1 + fire
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To spitfire
spit·fire   (spĭt'fīr')   
n.  A quick-tempered or highly excitable person.
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

Spitfire

Spit"fire`\, n. A violent, irascible, or passionate person. [Colloq.] --Grose.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

spitfire 
1600, from spit (v.) + fire (n.). Replaced earlier shitfire (cf. Florentine cacafuoco).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see spitfire on Thesaurus | Reference