Etymology

spittle

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Today it means: Spit, usually frothy and of a milky coloration. Full definition →

Old English spātl
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spittle · noun1

  1. Old English · inherited fromspātl
  2. English todayspittle

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

spittle · noun, verb2

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

Spittle · proper noun3

  1. Middle High German · derived fromspital“hospital”
  2. German · derived fromSpittel
  3. Middle English · derived fromspitel“lodging house”
  4. English todaySpittle

Two main origins: * From Middle English spitel (“lodging house”), an occupational surname for someone who was employed at a lodging house. * Americanized spelling of German Spittel, a metonymic occupational surname for someone who worked in an infirmary, from Middle High German spital (“hospital”).

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishspitel all →

spital

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.