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
- A pitcher who moistens the ball with saliva...
Ancestry of “spitballer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spitball | A pitch of a baseball that has been partly... |
| 2 | English | spit | A thin metal or wooden rod on which meat is... |
| 3 | Middle English | spit | — |
| 4 | Middle English | despit | — |
| 5 | Old French | despit | — |
| 6 | Latin | dēspectus | disdained, despised |
| 7 | Latin | dēspiciō | to look down upon |
| 8 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 9 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 10 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 11 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 12 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |