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spat 1 (spăt)
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v.
A past tense and a past participle of spit1.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
spat 2 (spăt)
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n. pl. spat or spats
A larva of an oyster or similar bivalve that has settled by attaching to a surface.
[Middle English.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
spat 3 (spăt)
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n.
A cloth or leather gaiter covering the shoe upper and the ankle and fastening under the shoe with a strap: The waiter wore spats as part of his uniform.
[Short for spatterdash : SPATTER + DASH1.]
(click for a larger image)
spat3
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
spat 4 (spăt)
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n.
1. A brief quarrel.
2. Informal A slap or smack.
3. A spattering sound, as of raindrops.
v. spat·ted, spat·ting, spats
v.intr.
1. To engage in a brief quarrel.
2. To strike with a light spattering sound; slap.
v.tr.
Informal
To slap.
[Origin unknown.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

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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