spitchcock

spitch·cock
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UK/ˈspɪt͡ʃkɒk/US/ˈspɪt͡ʃˌkɑk/

noun

A method of cooking an eel (or occasionally some other fish) by splitting it along the back, cutting it into pieces, and broiling or frying it.

OriginMiddle English spiche-coke ← Old English cōc ← Old Norse spík →
First used late 16th – 18th c.Scrabble 25
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Meanings

nounspitchcock (plural spitchcocks)

plural spitchcocks

  1. obsoletecookingA method of cooking an eel (or occasionally some other fish) by splitting it along the back, cutting it into pieces, and broiling or frying it.First known use late 16th – 18th c.
  2. archaicbroadlyobsoletecookingAn eel (or other fish) prepared in this way.First known use early 17th c.
verbspitchcock (third-person singular simple present spitchcocks, present participle spitchcocking, simple past and past participle spitchcocked)

present singular third person spitchcocks · participle present spitchcocking · participle past spitchcocked · past spitchcocked

  1. archaicobsoletetransitivecookingTo cook (an eel, or occasionally some other fish) by splitting it along the back, cutting it into pieces, and broiling or frying it.

Origin

  1. Old Englishcoc
  2. Proto-Indo-European*spey-“sharp point; stick”
  3. Old Englishspitu
  4. Old Norsespík
  5. Old Englishspiċ“bacon; lard”
  6. Old Englishcōc“a cook”
  7. Middle English*speche
  8. Middle Englishspiche-coke“eel split lengthwise and broiled”
  9. Englishspitchcock

The noun is derived from Middle English spiche-coke (“eel split lengthwise and broiled”). The further etymology is uncertain; the following possibilities have been suggested: * From Middle English *speche, *spiche (“to split”) + cock, coken (“to allow (something) to cook; to cook”) (from cok (“person who cooks food, cook”), from Old English cōc (“a cook”)). * From spik (“animal fat, especially lard”) (from Old English spiċ (“bacon; lard”)), spik, spike (“large nail; pointed stud”) (possibly from Old Norse spík, spíkr (“nail”)), or spit, spite (“rod for cooking meat, spit; pointed object”) (from Old English spitu, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *spey- (“sharp point; stick”)) + cok (“male of the common domestic fowl, cock, rooster”) (from Old English coc, cocc). The verb is probably derived from the noun.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Old Norse

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian змиорка на шиш
  • змиорка на шиш (zmiorka na šiš)eel or other fish prepared by spatchcocking
German Brataal
  • Brataaleel or other fish prepared by spatchcocking
Polish węgorz z grilla, piec węgorza na ruszcie
  • węgorz z grillaeel or other fish prepared by spatchcocking
  • piec węgorza na ruszcieto cook (an eel, or occasionally some other fish) by splitting it along the back, cutting it into pieces, and broiling or frying it
  • upiec węgorza na ruszcieto cook (an eel, or occasionally some other fish) by splitting it along the back, cutting it into pieces, and broiling or frying it
Cite this entry
APA

spitchcock. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spitchcock

MLA

“spitchcock.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spitchcock. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spitchcock,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spitchcock.

Source: spitchcock on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.