

Spit ( third-person singular simple present spits, present participle spitting, simple past and past participle spat or spit)

The noun is derived from the verb compare Danish spyt ( “ spit ” ), Middle English spit, spytte ( “ saliva, spittle, sputum ” ), spet ( “ saliva, spittle ” ), spē̆tel ( “ saliva, spittle ” ), North Frisian spiit.

The English word is cognate with Danish spytte ( “ to spit ” ), North Frisian spütte, Norwegian spytte ( “ to spit ” ), Swedish spotta ( “ to spit ” ), Old Norse spýta ( Faroese spýta ( “ to spit ” ), Icelandic spýta ( “ to spit ” )). The verb is from Middle English spē̆ten, spete ( “ to spit (blood, phlegm, saliva, venom, etc.) of a fire: to emit sparks ” ), from Old English spǣtan ( “ to spit to squirt ” ) or from Middle English spit, spitte, spitten ( “ to spit (blood, phlegm, saliva, venom, etc.) of a fire: to emit sparks ” ), from Old English spittan, spyttan ( “ to spit ” ), both from Proto-Germanic, from Proto-Indo-European *sp(y)ēw, *spyū, ultimately imitative compare Middle English spitelen ( “ to spit out, expectorate ” ) and English spew.

The English word is cognate with Dutch spit, Low German Spitt ( “ pike, spear spike skewer spit ” ), Danish spid, Swedish spett ( “ skewer spit type of crowbar ” ). The noun is from Middle English spit, spite, spete, spette, spyte, spytte ( “ rod on which meat is cooked rod used as a torture instrument short spear point of a spear spine in the fin of a fish pointed object dagger symbol land projecting into the sea ” ), from Old English spitu ( “ rod on which meat is cooked spit ” ), from Proto-Germanic *spitō ( “ rod skewer spike ” ), *spituz ( “ rod on which meat is cooked stick ” ), from Proto-Indo-European *spid-, *spey- ( “ sharp sharp stick ” ). ( Received Pronunciation, General American ) IPA ( key): /spɪt/.but is not meant to be exhaustive, particularly with regard to derivative verbs." AWE has been quite selective in its drawing on that list.A spit as a landform (sense 2): an aerial photograph of Farewell Spit at the northern tip of the South Island of New Zealand The list "contains most of the irregular verbs in present-day English. This is one of the "the 250 or so irregular verbs" listed in Quirk 1985. The forms of the irregular verb 'to spit' are: This (regular) verb can be used figuratively in the days of duelling, for example, one man might spit the other with a thrust of the rapier. The larger versions of these on which, for example, a whole pig or even an ox can be roasted over an open fire are called spits. This is in origin a term from cooking: cooks commonly spit kebabs, for example, by placing them on skewers. There is also a regular verb (spit ~ spitted ~ spitted) meaning 'to pierce or transfix'. This page is about the irregular verb 'to spit', meaning 'to project out of the mouth'.
