What is "spat"

Spat \Spat\, imp. of Spit. [Obs. or R.]

Spat \Spat\, n. [From the root of spit; hence, literally, that which is ejected.] A young oyster or other bivalve mollusk, both before and after it first becomes adherent, or such young, collectively.

Spat \Spat\, v. i. & t. To emit spawn; to emit, as spawn.

Spat \Spat\, n. [Cf. Pat.]

1. A light blow with something flat. [U.S. & Prov. Eng.]

2. Hence, a petty combat, esp. a verbal one; a little quarrel, dispute, or dissension. [U. S.]

Spat \Spat\, v. i. To dispute. [R.]
--Smart.

Spat \Spat\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spatted; p. pr. & vb. n. Spatting.] To slap, as with the open hand; to clap together; as the hands. [Local, U.S.]

Little Isabel leaped up and down, spatting her hands.
--Judd.

Spat \Spat\, n. [Short for Spatterdash.]

1. A legging; a gaiter. [Scot. & Dial. Eng.]

2. A kind of short cloth or leather gaiter worn over the upper part of the shoe and fastened beneath the instep; -- chiefly in pl.

Spit \Spit\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spit ( Spat, archaic); p. pr. & vb. n. Spitting.] [AS. spittan; akin to G. sp["u]tzen, Dan. spytte, Sw. spotta,Icel. sp?ta, and prob. E. spew. The past tense spat is due to AS. sp?tte, from sp?tan to spit. Cf. Spat, n., Spew, Spawl, Spot, n.]

1. To eject from the mouth; to throw out, as saliva or other matter, from the mouth. ``Thus spit I out my venom.''
   --Chaucer.

2. To eject; to throw out; to belch.

   Note: Spitted was sometimes used as the preterit and the past participle. ``He . . . shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on.''
   --Luke xviii. 32.

"petty quarrel," 1804, American English, of unknown origin; perhaps somehow imitative (compare spat "smack, slap," attested from 1823).

"short gaiter covering the ankle" (usually only in plural, spats), 1779, shortening of spatterdash "long gaiter to keep trousers or stockings from being spattered with mud" (1680s), from spatter and dash (v.).

"spawn of a shellfish," especially "spawn of an oyster," also "a young oyster," 1660s, of unknown origin, perhaps from the past tense of spit (v.1).

Etymology 1 vb. (en-past of: spit) Etymology 2

n. The spawn of shellfish, especially oysters and similar molluscs. vb. (context ambitransitive English) To spawn. Used of shellfish as above. Etymology 3

n. 1 A covering or decorative covering worn over a shoe. 2 (context automotive English) (UK, Australia) A piece of bodywork that covers the upper portions of the rear tyres of a car. Etymology 4

n. a brief argument, falling out, quarrel vb. to quarrel or argue briefly Etymology 5

n. A light blow with something flat. vb. 1 (context transitive and intransitive English) To strike with a spattering sound. 2 (context US dialect English) To slap, as with the open hand; to clap together, as the hands. Etymology 6

n. An obsolete unit of distance in astronomy (symbol S), equal to one billion kilometres.

1. n. a quarrel about petty points [syn: bicker, bickering, tiff, squabble, pettifoggery, fuss]

2. a cloth covering (a legging) that provides covering for the instep and ankles [syn: spats, gaiter]

3. a young oyster or other bivalve

4. [also: spatting, spatted]

1. v. come down like raindrops; "Bullets were spatting down on us"

2. become permanently attached; "mollusks or oysters spat"

3. strike with a sound like that of falling rain; "Bullets were spatting the leaves"

4. clap one's hands or shout after performances to indicate approval [syn: applaud, clap, acclaim] [ant: boo]

5. engage in a brief and petty quarrel

6. spawn; "oysters spat"

7. clap one's hands together; "The children were clapping to the music" [syn: clap]

8. [also: spatting, spatted]

1. v. expel or eject (saliva or phlegm or sputum) from the mouth; "The father of the victim spat at the alleged murderer" [syn: ptyalize, ptyalise, spew, spue]

2. utter with anger or contempt [syn: spit out]

3. rain gently; "It has only sprinkled, but the roads are slick" [syn: sprinkle, spatter, patter, pitter-patter]

4. drive a skewer through; "skewer the meat for the BBQ" [syn: skewer]

5. [also: spitting, spitted, spat]

1. n. a narrow strip of land that juts out into the sea [syn: tongue]

2. a clear liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands of the mouth; moistens the mouth and starts the digestion of starches [syn: saliva, spittle]

3. a skewer for holding meat over a fire

4. the act of spitting (forcefully expelling saliva) [syn: spitting, expectoration]

5. [also: spitting, spitted, spat]

1. See spit

2. [also: spatting, spatted]

Spat may refer to:

• Spat (unit), a unit of solid angle
• Spats (footwear), a type of shoe accessory
• Wheel spats, British term for aerodynamic fairings that reduce the drag on fixed-undercarriage aircraft
• Spat, the past tense of spit
• Spat (molluscs), settled larvae of shellfish such as oysters and scallops
• Spat, the main villain in the game Hamtaro Ham-Ham Heartbreak
• SPAT, Toamasina Autonomous Port of Madagascar, from French Société de Gestion du Port Autonome de Toamasina
• S.P.A.T., Polish Special Forces, from Polish Samodzielny Pododdział Antyterrorystyczny Komisariatu Policji

The spat (symbol sp), from the Latin spatium ("space"), is a unit of solid angle. 1 spat is equal to 4 steradians or approximately square degrees of solid angle. As such, it is the solid angle subtended by a sphere at its centre.

The spat (symbol S) is also an obsolete unit of distance used in astronomy. It is equal to kilometres (1 Tm or 10 m). It is about 6.6846 astronomical units (AU), or .