Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “spitballer” come from?

spitballer (English) comes from English spitball, from English spit, from Middle English spit, from Middle English despit, from Old French despit, from Latin dēspectus, from Latin dēspiciō, from Latin dē- — afterwards, post; by, at.

spitballer (English): A pitcher who moistens the ball with saliva...

Definitions

  1. A pitcher who moistens the ball with saliva...

Ancestry of “spitballer”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspitballA pitch of a baseball that has been partly...
2EnglishspitA thin metal or wooden rod on which meat is...
3Middle Englishspit—
4Middle Englishdespit—
5Old Frenchdespit—
6Latindēspectus—
7Latindēspiciō—
8Latindē-—
9Latindē—
10Latinpostbehind; after, since, besides, except; behind,...
11Latinposteablative singular of postis
12Proto-Italicposti—
13Proto-Indo-Europeanpósti—
14Proto-Indo-Europeanpósafterwards, post; by, at
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pós →