spill

spill
{{11}}spill (n.) 1845, originally "a throw from a horse," from SPILL (Cf. spill) (v.).
{{12}}spill (v.) O.E. spillan "destroy, kill," variant of spildan, from P.Gmc. *spelthijanan (Cf. O.H.G. spildan "to spill," O.S. spildian, O.N. spilla "to destroy," M.Du. spillen "to waste"), from PIE *spel- "to split, break off" (Cf. M.Du. spalden, O.H.G. spaltan "to split;" for further cognates, see SPOIL (Cf. spoil)). Related: Spilled; spilling.
Sense of "let (liquid) fall or run out" developed mid-14c. from use of the word in reference to shedding blood (early 12c.). Intransitive sense is from 1650s. Spill the beans recorded by 1910 in a sense of "spoil the situation;" to cry for spilt milk (usually with negative) is attested from 1738.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Spill — Spill, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spilled}, or {Spilt}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Spilling}.] [OE. spillen,sually, to destroy, AS. spillan, spildan, to destroy; akin to Icel. spilla to destroy, Sw. spilla to spill, Dan. spilde, G. & D. spillen to squander, OHG …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Spill — may refer to:* Spill (UK band), a dance duo * Daniel Spill (1832–1887), English entrepreneur * Oil spill * Data spill * Leadership spill …   Wikipedia

  • spill — Ⅰ. spill [1] ► VERB (past and past part. spilt or spilled) 1) flow or cause to flow over the edge of a container. 2) move or empty out from a place. 3) informal reveal (confidential information). ► NOUN …   English terms dictionary

  • spill — spill; spill·able; spill·age; spill·flö·te; spill·ing; …   English syllables

  • Spill — Spill, v. i. 1. To be destroyed, ruined, or wasted; to come to ruin; to perish; to waste. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] That thou wilt suffer innocents to spill. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] 2. To be shed; to run over; to fall out, and be lost or wasted. He… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • spill — ‘let fall’ [OE] and spill ‘thin piece of wood’ are distinct words. The former originally meant ‘destroy, kill’; the modern sense ‘allow liquid to pour out or fall’, which did not emerge until the 14th century, arose as a rather grisly metaphor… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • spill — ‘let fall’ [OE] and spill ‘thin piece of wood’ are distinct words. The former originally meant ‘destroy, kill’; the modern sense ‘allow liquid to pour out or fall’, which did not emerge until the 14th century, arose as a rather grisly metaphor… …   Word origins

  • Spill — Spill, n. [[root]170. Cf. {Spell} a splinter.] 1. A bit of wood split off; a splinter. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] [1913 Webster] 2. A slender piece of anything. Specifically: [1913 Webster] (a) A peg or pin for plugging a hole, as in a cask; a spile.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • spill — [v1] slop, drop discharge, disgorge, dribble, drip, empty, flow, lose, overfill, overflow, overrun, overturn, pour, run, run out, run over, scatter, shed, spill over, splash, splatter, spray, sprinkle, spurt, squirt, stream, throw off, upset,… …   New thesaurus

  • spill — spill1 [spil] vt. spilled or spilt, spilling [ME spillen < OE spillan, to destroy, squander, akin to MHG spillen, to split < IE base * (s)p(h)el , to split, split off > SPALL, L spolium] 1. to allow or cause, esp. unintentionally or… …   English World dictionary

  • Spill — Spill, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spilt}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Spilling}.] To cover or decorate with slender pieces of wood, metal, ivory, etc.; to inlay. [Obs.] Spenser. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”