What is "spit"

Spit \Spit\, v. i. To attend to a spit; to use a spit. [Obs.]

She's spitting in the kitchen.
--Old Play.

Spit \Spit\, n. [OE. spite, AS. spitu; akin to D. spit, G. spiess, OHG. spiz, Dan. spid. Sw. spett, and to G. spitz pointed. [root]170.]

1. A long, slender, pointed rod, usually of iron, for holding meat while roasting.

2. A small point of land running into the sea, or a long, narrow shoal extending from the shore into the sea; as, a spit of sand.
   --Cook.

3. The depth to which a spade goes in digging; a spade; a spadeful. [Prov. Eng.]
   --Halliwell.

Spit \Spit\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spitted; p. pr. & vb. n. Spitting.] [From Spit, n.; cf. Speet.]

1. To thrust a spit through; to fix upon a spit; hence, to thrust through or impale; as, to spit a loin of veal. ``Infants spitted upon pikes.''
   --Shak.

2. To spade; to dig. [Prov. Eng.]

Spit \Spit\, n. The secretion formed by the glands of the mouth; spitle; saliva; sputum.

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.

Spit \Spit\, v. i.

1. To throw out saliva from the mouth.

2. To rain or snow slightly, or with sprinkles.

   It had been spitting with rain.
   --Dickens.

   To spit on or To spit upon, to insult grossly; to treat with contempt. ``Spitting upon all antiquity.''
   --South.

"expel saliva," Old English spittan (Anglian), spætan (West Saxon), transitive and intransitive, past tense *spytte, from Proto-Germanic *spitjan, from PIE *sp(y)eu-, of imitative origin (see spew (v.)). Not the usual Old English word for this; spætlan (see spittle) and spiwan are more common; all are from the same root. To spit as a gesture of contempt (especially at someone) is in Old English. Related: Spat; spitting.

"saliva," early 14c., from spit (v.1). Meaning "the very likeness" in modern use is attested from 1825 (as in spitting image, attested from 1887); compare French craché in same sense. Spit-curl (1831) was originally considered colloquial or vulgar. Military phrase spit and polish first recorded 1895.

"sharp-pointed rod for roasting meat," late Old English spitu "a spit," from Proto-Germanic *spituz (cognates: Middle Dutch and Dutch spit, Swedish spett (which perhaps is from Low German), Old High German spiz, German Spieß "roasting 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.

c.1200, "put on a spit, thrust with a spit," from late Old English sputtian "to spit" (for cooking), from spit (n.2). Meaning "pierce with a weapon, transfix, impale" is from early 15c. Related: Spitted; spitting. Nares' Glossary has spit-frog "a small sword."

Etymology 1 n. 1 A rod on which meat is grilled (UK English) or broiled (US English). 2 A narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsul

1. 3 The depth to which a spade goes in digging; a spade; a spadeful. v

2. 1 To impale on a spit. 2 To attend to a spit; to use a spit. 3 To spade; to dig. Etymology 2

   n. 1 (context uncountable English) saliva, especially when expectorate. 2 (context countable English) An instance of spitting. vb. 1 (context intransitive transitive English) To evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth. 2 To rain or snow slightly, or with sprinkles. 3 (context transitive English) To utter violently. 4 (context transitive slang hip-hop English) To utter.

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]

Spit, also referred to as Slam or Speed, is a game of the shedding family of card games for two players. The game is played until all of someone's cards are gone; at which time, the game has finished.

Spit may refer to:

• Spit, another word for saliva
  • Spitting, the act of forcibly expelling from the mouth
• Spit (archaeology), a term for a unit of archaeological excavation
• Spit (landform), a section of land that extends into a body of water
• Spit (cooking aide), a rotating device used for cooking by roasting over an open fire (rotisserie)

A spit or sandspit is a deposition bar or beach landform found off coasts. It develops in places where re-entrance occurs, such as at a cove's headlands, by the process of longshore drift and longshore currents. The drift occurs due to waves meeting the beach at an oblique angle, moving sediment down the beach in a zigzag pattern. This is complemented by longshore currents, which further transport sediment through the water alongside the beach. These currents are caused by the same waves that cause the drift.

Spit is the debut album by the heavy metal band Kittie. Produced by Garth Richardson, the album was released on January 11, 2000 by Artemis Records.

Spit (alternately known as Uncle Sam's) was a nightclub and music venue located at Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown, New York. The club opened in 1978 and closed in 1992. Some well-known bands performed at the club including Madonna, Blue Öyster Cult and Duran Duran. Some performances were broadcast on WLIR radio. The building was set fire in 1994 by the owners in attempt to collect insurance. They were charged and convicted of arson.

In the field of archaeology, a spit is a unit of archaeological excavation with an arbitrarily assigned measurement of depth and extent. It is a method of excavation employed without regard to the archaeological stratigraphy that may (or may not) be identifiable at the archaeological site under investigation. The method of excavating in arbitrary spits is most frequently encountered at site excavations which lack any visible or reconstructable stratigraphy in the archaeological context, or when excavating through intrusive or fill deposits.

Sometimes the term is used to refer to any archaeological unit.