spit1

[spit] /spɪt/
verb (used without object), spit or spat, spitting.
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), spit or spat, spitting.
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, 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.
Verb phrases
12.
spit up, to vomit; throw up:
The wounded soldier spat up blood. If you jostle the baby, she'll spit up.
Idioms
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.
Related forms
spitlike, adjective
Synonyms
3. spatter.
British Dictionary definitions for spit up

spit1

/spɪt/
verb spits, spitting, spat, spit
1.
(intransitive) to expel saliva from the mouth; expectorate
2.
(intransitive) (informal) to show disdain or hatred by spitting
3.
(of a fire, hot fat, etc) to eject (fragments of coal, sparks, etc) violently and with an explosive sound; splutter
4.
(intransitive) to rain very lightly
5.
(transitive) often foll by out. to eject or discharge (something) from the mouth: he spat the food out, to spit blood
6.
(transitive) often foll by out. to utter (short sharp words or syllables), esp in a violent manner
7.
(Austral, slang) spit chips, to be very angry Also (NZ) spit tacks
8.
(Brit, informal) spit it out!, a command given to someone that he should speak forthwith
noun
9.
another name for spittle
10.
a light or brief fall of rain, snow, etc
11.
the act or an instance of spitting
12.
(informal, mainly Brit) another word for spitting image
Derived Forms
spitter, noun
Word Origin
Old English spittan; related to spǣtan to spit, German dialect spitzen

spit2

/spɪt/
noun
1.
a pointed rod on which meat is skewered and roasted before or over an open fire
2.
Also called rotisserie, rotating spit. a similar device rotated by electricity or clockwork, fitted onto a cooker
3.
an elongated often hooked strip of sand or shingle projecting from the shore, deposited by longshore drift, and usually above water
verb spits, spitting, spitted
4.
(transitive) to impale on or transfix with or as if with a spit
Word Origin
Old English spitu; related to Old High German spiz spit, Norwegian spit tip

spit3

/spɪt/
noun
1.
the depth of earth cut by a spade; a spade's depth
Word Origin
C16: from Middle Dutch and Middle Low German spit
Word Origin and History for spit up

spit

v.

"expel saliva," Old English spittan (Anglian), spætan (West Saxon), from PIE *sp(y)eu-, of imitative origin (see spew). Not the usual Old English 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 Old English.

n.

"saliva," c.1300, from spit (v.). Meaning "the very likeness" is attested from c.1600 (e.g. spitting image, attested from 1901); cf. French craché in same sense. Military phrase spit and polish first recorded 1895.

"sharp-pointed rod on which meat is roasted," Old English spitu, from Proto-Germanic *spituz (cf. Middle Dutch spit, Swedish spett, Old High German spiz, German Spieß "spit," German spitz "pointed"), from PIE *spei- "sharp point" (see spike (n.1)). This is also the source of the word meaning "sandy point" (1670s). Old French espois, Spanish espeto "spit" are Germanic loan-words. The verb meaning "to put on a spit" is recorded from c.1200.

Slang definitions & phrases for spit up

spit

noun

Nothing; zilch, zip: ''What'd she come up with?'' ''Spit''

Related Terms

hot spit, not count for spit, not worth a bucket of warm spit, swap spit

[1960s+; a euphemism for shit]


Idioms and Phrases with spit up

spit up

Vomit, as in Infants often spit up part of their milk.