spittle

[ spit-l ]

noun

1. saliva; spit.
2. Entomology. the frothy secretion exuded by spittlebugs.

spittle

/ ˈspɪtəl /

noun

1. the fluid secreted in the mouth; saliva or spit
2. Also calledcuckoo spitfrog spit the frothy substance secreted on plants by the larvae of certain froghoppers

Word History and Origins

Origin of spittle¹

1470–80; blend of Middle English spit (noun) ( spit ¹ ) and spetil, Old English spǣtl, variant of spātl saliva

Word History and Origins

Origin of spittle¹

Old English spǣtl saliva; see spit ¹

Example Sentences

Compared with Pacino’s outraged and outrageous Cohn, spraying a vulgarian’s spittle across Nichols’ magisterial “Angels,” Strong’s performance is a model of white-knuckle control, swaggering when Cohn exerts his power, wilting when he can’t.

From Los Angeles Times

With the election a month away, Trump is now more angry and more rageful, flexing his muscles, spittle coming out of his mouth as he becomes even more feral in his attacks on Harris and his other “enemies.”

From Salon

Our political discourse has been poisoned with Trump’s hate-filled spittle for nearly a decade.

From Salon

Cicadas, winged buggy noisemakers whose relatives include leaf-hoppers and spittle bugs, come in two varieties: the annual cicadas who, sure enough, appear every year and the periodical cicadas, who appear in 13-year and 17-year cycles.

From Salon

Biden said after their latest chat that Netanyahu might agree on a two-state solution, depending on the details—a claim that Netanyahu publicly disputed, adding a drop of spittle to the spite.

From Slate