spat
verb
[ spat ]
• past and past participle of spit1.
spat
noun
• a short cloth gaiter covering the instep and ankle.
• a cover for the upper part of an aircraft wheel.
Origin:
early 19th century: abbreviation of spatterdash.
spat
noun
• a quarrel about an unimportant matter.
• "when we had our little spats, he had only to smile to get back on the right side of me"
spat
verb
• quarrel about an unimportant matter.
• "people expected him and his wife to spat continually"
Origin:
early 19th century (originally a US colloquial usage): probably imitative.
spat
noun
• the spawn or larvae of shellfish, especially oysters.
• "oyster larvae attach themselves as spat to old shells"
Origin:
mid 17th century: from Anglo-Norman French, of unknown ultimate origin.
spit
verb
• eject saliva forcibly from one's mouth, sometimes as a gesture of contempt or anger.
• "Todd spat in Hugh's face"
• (of a fire or something being cooked) emit small bursts of sparks or hot fat with a series of short, explosive noises.
• "the bonfire crackled and spat"
• light rain falls.
• "it began to spit"
Origin:
Old English spittan, of imitative origin.
