Wiktionary

spat

See also: Appendix:Variations of "spat"

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Old English spittan, spætan.

Verb

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spat

  1. simple past and past participle of spit
    There was no sink in the room so we spat out the window.
    If I had known you had a spittoon in the corner I would never have spat on the floor.

Etymology 2

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Uncertain; perhaps related to spit.

Noun

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spat (countable and uncountable, plural spats)

  1. The spawn of shellfish, especially oysters and similar molluscs.
    • 2005, TVR Pillay, MN Kutty, Aquaculture: Principles and practices, page 525:
      As spat-fall often occurs in areas away from environments suitable for oyster growing, the collection, transport and sale of oyster spat has developed into a separate industry.
    • 2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 243:
      But Orata’s oysters were, like the dormice and fish, collected in the wild, as spat.
  2. A juvenile shellfish which has attached to a hard surface.
    • 2011, The Pearl Oyster‎[1], page 256:
      Conditions in pearl oyster hatcheries are optimized for growth and survival of spat.
    • 1988, Bivalve Mollusc Culture Research in Thailand‎[2], page 28:
      If the spat are allowed to remain attached to the tank bottom for more than two days, they are difficult to remove without damage to the shell.
Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb

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spat (third-person singular simple present spats, present participle spatting, simple past and past participle spatted)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To spawn, used of shellfish as above.

Etymology 3

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Shortening of spatterdash, from spatter + dash. 1779.

 
A felt spat
 
Australian 1970s Holden Kingswood with spats

Noun

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spat (plural spats)

  1. (often in the plural) A covering or decorative covering worn over a shoe.
    Coordinate term: gaiter
  2. (automotive, UK, Australia) A piece of bodywork that covers the upper portions of the rear tyres of a car.
    Synonym: (US) fender skirt
  3. (aviation) A drag-reducing aerodynamic fairing covering the upper portions of the tyres of an aeroplane equipped with non-retractable landing gear.
Translations
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Etymology 4

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1804. American English, probably imitative.

Noun

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spat (plural spats)

  1. A brief argument, falling out, quarrel.
    get into a trivial spat over punctuality
    have a vicious spat with the cousins
    • 2017 January 14, “Some Thais worry that a lasting power struggle is brewing. Others see a minor spat over language, which will quickly be forgotten.”, in The Economist‎[3]:
    • 2022 November 16, Graham Eccles, “The Rest Day Working saga...”, in RAIL, number 970, page 32:
      The downside of this cost-saving strategy was that the train service could only be covered by goodwill. Whenever there was a spat between ASLEF and management - regardless of cause - the withdrawal of this goodwill became a stick with which unions could beat management.
Translations
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Verb

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spat (third-person singular simple present spats, present participle spatting, simple past and past participle spatted)

  1. (originally US, intransitive) To quarrel or argue briefly.
Translations
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Further reading

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Etymology 5

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Attested from 1823.

Noun

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spat (plural spats)

  1. A light blow with something flat.
Translations
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Verb

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spat (third-person singular simple present spats, present participle spatting, simple past and past participle spatted)

  1. (transitive and intransitive) To strike with a spattering sound.
    • 1922, B. M. Bower, chapter 3, in The Trail of the White Mule:
      He felt the wind of a second bullet that spatted against a boulder near Barney.
    • 2007 July 13, Nolan Clay, “Co-workers testify about Kelsey's mother”, in Daily Oklahoman, retrieved 25 Aug. 2009:
      "She mentioned she had spatted Kelsey on her diaper with a hairbrush," said Mildred Johnson, a co-worker.
  2. (US, dialect) To slap, as with the open hand; to clap together, as the hands.
    • 1845, Sylvester Judd, Margaret:
      Little Isabel leaped up and down, spatting her hands.
Translations
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Etymology 6

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From Latin spatium (“space”).

Noun

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spat (plural spats)

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

Anagrams

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Amis

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Etymology

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From Proto-Austronesian *Səpat.

Numeral

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spat

  1. four

Danish

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Etymology

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From Middle Low German spat. Compare German Spat and Swedish spatt.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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spat c (singular definite spatten, not used in plural form)

  1. spavin (disease of horses characterized by a bony swelling developed on the hock as the result of inflammation of the bones)
  2. få spat – get annoyed or angry

Derived terms

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Dutch

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle Dutch spat.

Noun

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spat m (plural spatten)

  1. (obsolete) blowgun
    Synonyms: blaaspijp, blaasroer

Etymology 2

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From spatten.

Noun

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spat m (plural spatten, diminutive spatje n)

  1. spot, speckle, stain
Derived terms
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Descendants
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  • → Papiamentu: spat

Etymology 3

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See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

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spat

  1. inflection of spatten:
    1. first/second/third-person singular present indicative
    2. imperative

Anagrams

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Lower Sorbian

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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spat

  1. supine of spaś

Serbo-Croatian

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Verb

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spat

  1. Alternative form of spȁti
    • 1993, Vinko Coce (lyrics and music), “Mirno spavaj, ružo moja”:
      cili Trogir ide spat
      the whole City of Trogir goes to sleep

Swedish

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Noun

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spat

  1. (colloquial) definite singular of spad

Taroko

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Etymology

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From Proto-Atayalic *səpat, from Proto-Austronesian *Səpat.

Numeral

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spat

  1. four
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