Spirula, spir′ū-la, n. a genus of sepioid cuttle-fishes. [L. spīra, a spire.]
Spirulate, Spiry. See under Spire.
Spissated, spis′ā-ted, adj. inspissated, thickened.—n. Spiss′itūde, density. [L. spissāre, -ātum, thicken.]
Spit, spit, n. an iron prong on which meat is roasted: a long piece of land or a narrow shoal running into the sea: a wire or spindle holding a spool in a shuttle.—v.t. to pierce with a spit: to string on a stick and hang up to dry:—pr.p. spit′ting; pa.t. and pa.p. spit′ted.—p.adj. Spit′ted, put upon a spit, impaled: shot out to a point.—n. Spit′ter, one who puts meat on a spit: a young deer whose antlers have shot out but not branched. [A.S. spitu; Dut. spit, Ger. spitze.]
Spit, spit, v.t. to throw out from the mouth: to eject with violence.—v.i. to throw out saliva from the mouth: to fall in scattered drops, as rain at the beginning of a shower: to make a spitting sound, like an angry cat:—pr.p. spit′ting; pa.t. spit, spat; pa.p. spit.—n. saliva, spume: a light fall of rain or snow.—ns. Spit′-box, a spittoon; Spit′-curl (coll.), a soap-lock; Spit′fire, a hot-tempered person; Spit′poison, a venomous calumniator.—pa.p. Spit′ted (B.), thrown out from the mouth.—ns. Spit′ter, one who spits; Spit′ting, the act of one who or that which spits: an appearance on the surface of melted silver or platinum allowed to cool slowly, jets of oxygen forming small cones and sometimes throwing up drops of molten metal—also called Sprout′ing; Spit′tle, the moist matter thrown from the mouth: saliva; Spittoon′, a vessel for the convenience of such smokers as spit. [A.S. spittan, also spǽtan; Ice. spýta, Ger. spützen.]
Spital, spit′al, n. Same as Hospital.
Spitch-cock, spich′-kok, n. an eel split and broiled.—v.t. to split and broil, as an eel. [Spatch-cock.]
Spite, spīt, n. grudge: lasting ill-will: hatred.—v.t. to vex: to thwart: to hate.—adj. Spite′ful, full of spite: desirous to vex or injure: malignant.—adv. Spite′fully.—n. Spite′fulness.—In spite of, in opposition to all efforts of, in defiance of, in contempt of. [Short for despite.]
Spitz, spitz, n. a Pomeranian dog. [Ger.]
Spiza, spī′za, n. a genus of fringilline birds, including the United States dickcissel or black-throated bunting, &c.—adj. Spiz′ine. [Gr., a finch.]