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spit1
—spitlike, adj.v.i.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.v.t.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.8. spit up, to vomit; throw up: The wounded soldier spat up blood. If you jostle the baby, she'll spit up.n.9. saliva, esp. when ejected.10. the act of spitting.11. Entomol. spittle.12. a light fall of rain or snow.13. spit and image. Also, spitting image, spit 'n' image. Informal. exact likeness; counterpart: Hunched over his desk, pen in hand, he was the spit and image of his father at work.[bef. 950; (v.) ME spitten, OE spittan; c. G (dial.) spitzen to spit; akin to OE spaetan to spit, spatl spittle; (n.) ME, deriv. of the v.]Syn. 3. spatter.spit2/spit/, n., v., spitted, spitting.n.1. a pointed rod or bar for thrusting through and holding meat that is to be cooked before or over a fire.2. any of various rods, pins, or the like used for particular purposes.3. a narrow point of land projecting into the water.4. a long, narrow shoal extending from the shore.v.t.5. to pierce, stab, or transfix, as with a spit; impale on something sharp.6. to thrust a spit into or through.
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▪ coastal featurein geology, narrow coastal land formation that is tied to the coast at one end. Spits frequently form where the coast abruptly changes direction and often occur across the mouths of estuaries; they may develop from each headland at harbour mouths. Spits, which may be composed of sand or shingle, are formed by the longshore movement of sediment. They often are complexly curved, with a characteristic recurved head (hook); this probably results from the refraction of waves around the spit's end.* * *
Universalium. 2010.