spittle

• IPA^(key): /ˈspɪ.t(ə)l/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪtəl

Alteration of dialectal spattle (by association with spit (noun)), from Old English spātl, which is related to spǣtan (whence spit (verb)).

spittle (countable and uncountable, plural spittles)

1. Spit, usually frothy and of a milky coloration.
   • 2023 September 30, HarryBlank, “Meeting in the Middle”, in SCP Foundation‎^[1], archived from the original on 25 May 2024:

     "Who are you?!" he blurted into the woman's palm, and she shook it off in obvious disgust, wiping spittle onto his D-class uniform.

2. Something frothy and white that resembles spit.
3. Spit-up or drool of an infant.

• fasting spittle
• lickspittle
• spittly

spittle (countable and uncountable, plural spittles)

1. (now archaic) Alternative form of spital.
   • a. 1633, George Herbert, The Thanksgiving:

     I'll build a spittle, or mend common ways […]

Representing a frequentative form of spit (“a spade's depth”), equivalent to spit +‎ -le.

spittle (countable and uncountable, plural spittles)

1. A small sort of spade.

spittle (third-person singular simple present spittles, present participle spittling, simple past and past participle spittled)

1. To dig or stir with a small spade.

• pittles