A short word this week and one you probably have come across before, but I bet you don't know quite how many different meanings this one little word has picked up over the years.
The earliest use of the word spat seems to originate from anglo-norman and means the spawn of an oyster or other shellfish and in the mid 17th century it was occassionally used to mean the eggs of bees!
At the same time it was also beginning to be used to mean a spatula for spreading on medical ointments or creams.
It also used to be used to mean clap or applause.
Spat turns up in the US in the early 19th Century to mean a brief arguement or quarrel.
It has also come to mean a sharp blow or slap or the sound of a blow or slap.
There's more....
Used in the plural spats - it is an abbreviation of spatterdash a early 19th century gaiter, which is worn over the top of a shoe and reaches slightly above the ankle, protecting the wearer from muddy splashes when walking on a wet day.
And finally, in aeronautics it has come to mean a covering that goes above the wheel of an aircraft - a 'spatterdash' for a plane - a bit like a mudguard in a car.
So there you go, one short four letter word, with many many different meanings!
Sources:
Shorter Oxford Dictionary (2 volumes) 6th edition, 2007
Chambers Concise Dictionary, 1989
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=spat
http://www.wordswarm.net/dictionary/spat.html
Von
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