Spit
Old English spittan, of imitative origin.
wiktionary
The noun is from Middle English spit, spite, spete, spette, spyte, spytte(“rod on which meat is cooked; rod used as a torture instrument; short spear; point of a spear; spine in the fin of a fish; pointed object; dagger symbol; land projecting into the sea”), from Old English spitu(“rod on which meat is cooked; spit”), [1] from Proto-Germanic *spitō(“rod; skewer; spike”), *spituz(“rod on which meat is cooked; stick”), from Proto-Indo-European *spid-, *spey-(“sharp; sharp stick”). The English word is cognate with Danish spid, Dutch spit, German Low German Spitt(“pike, spear; spike; skewer; spit”), Swedish spett(“skewer; spit; type of crowbar”).
The verb is derived from the noun, [2] or from Middle English spiten(“to put on a spit; to impale”), from spit, spite: see above. [3] The English word is cognate with Middle Dutch speten, spitten (modern Dutch speten), Middle Low German speten (Low German spitten, modern German spießen(“to skewer, to spear”), spissen(now dialectal)). [2]
The verb is from Middle English spē̆ten, spete(“to spit (blood, phlegm, saliva, venom, etc.); of a fire: to emit sparks”), from Old English spǣtan(“to spit; to squirt”); [4] or from Middle English spit, spitte, spitten(“to spit (blood, phlegm, saliva, venom, etc.); of a fire: to emit sparks”), from Old English spittan, spyttan(“to spit”), [5] [6] both from Proto-Germanic, from Proto-Indo-European *sp(y)ēw, *spyū, [7] ultimately imitative; compare Middle English spitelen(“to spit out, expectorate”) [8] and English spew. [9] The English word is cognate with Danish spytte(“to spit”), North Frisian spütte, Norwegian spytte(“to spit”), Swedish spotta(“to spit”), Old Norse spýta (Faroese spýta(“to spit”), Icelandic spýta(“to spit”)). [6]
The noun is derived from the verb; [10] compare Danish spyt(“spit”), Middle English spit, spytte(“saliva, spittle, sputum”), [11] spet(“saliva, spittle”), [12] spē̆tel(“saliva, spittle”), [13]North Frisian spiit. [10]
The noun is from Middle Dutch speet, spit, Middle Low German spêdt, spit (Low German spit); the word is cognate with Dutch spit, North Frisian spatt, spet, West Frisian spit. [14]
The verb is from Middle English spitten(“to dig”), from Old English spittan(“to dig with a spade”), [15] possibly from spitu(“rod on which meat is cooked; spit”); see further at etymology 1. The English word is cognate with Middle Dutch spetten, spitten (modern Dutch spitten), Middle Low German speten, spitten (Low German spitten), North Frisian spat, West Frisian spitte. [16]
etymonline
spit (v.1)
"expel saliva," Old English spittan (Anglian), spætan (West Saxon), transitive and intransitive, past tense *spytte, from Proto-Germanic *spitjan, from PIE *sp(y)eu-, of imitative origin (see spew (v.)). Not the usual Old English word for this; spætlan (see spittle) and spiwan are more common; all are from the same root. To spit as a gesture of contempt (especially at someone) is in Old English. Related: Spat; spitting.
spit (n.1)
"saliva," early 14c., from spit (v.1). Meaning "the very likeness" in modern use is attested from 1825 (as in spitting image, attested from 1887); compare French craché in same sense. Spit-curl (1831) was originally considered colloquial or vulgar. Military phrase spit and polish first recorded 1895.
spit (n.2)
"sharp-pointed rod for roasting meat," late Old English spitu "a spit," from Proto-Germanic *spituz (source also of Middle Dutch and Dutch spit, Swedish spett (which perhaps is from Low German), Old High German spiz, German Spieß "roasting spit," German spitz "pointed"), from PIE *spei- "sharp point" (see spike (n.1)). This is also the source of the word meaning "sandy point" (1670s). Old French espois, Spanish espeto "spit" are Germanic loan-words. The verb meaning "to put on a spit" is recorded from c. 1200.
spit (v.2)
c. 1200, "put on a spit, thrust with a spit," from late Old English sputtian "to spit" (for cooking), from spit (n.2). Meaning "pierce with a weapon, transfix, impale" is from early 15c. Related: Spitted; spitting. Nares' Glossary has spit-frog "a small sword."
