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pitch¹

(pĭch)

1. Any of various thick, dark, sticky substances obtained from the distillation residue of coal tar, wood tar, or petroleum and used for waterproofing, roofing, caulking, and paving.

2. Any of various natural bitumens, such as mineral pitch or asphalt.

3. A resin derived from the sap of various coniferous trees, as the pines.

tr.v. pitched, pitch·ing, pitch·es

To smear or cover with pitch.

[Middle English pich, from Old English pic and from Anglo-Norman piche, both from Latin pix, pic-.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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