spot
UK /spɒt/ · US /spɑt/ noun, verb, adjective, proper noun
- noun A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape. “The leopard is noted for the spots of color in its fur.”
- noun A stain or disfiguring mark. “I have tried everything, and I can’t get this spot out.”
- noun A pimple, papule or pustule. “That morning, I saw that a spot had come up on my chin.”
- noun A symbol on a playing card, domino, die, etc. indicating its value; a pip.
- noun A small, unspecified amount or quantity. “Do come 'round on Sunday for a spot of tea, won't you?”
- noun (slang, US) A bill of five-dollar or ten-dollar denomination in dollars. “Here's the twenty bucks I owe you, a ten spot and two five spots.”
- noun A location or area. “I like to eat lunch in a pleasant spot outside.”
- noun A parking space.
- verb (transitive) To see, find; to pick out, notice, locate, distinguish or identify. “Try to spot the differences between these two pictures.”
- verb (US, slang, ditransitive) To loan a small amount of money to someone. “I’ll spot you ten dollars for lunch.”
- verb (ambitransitive) To stain; to leave a spot (on). “Hard water will spot if it is left on a surface.”
- verb (transitive) To cover with spots, to speckle.
- verb To experience vaginal spotting; to expel blood from the vagina.
- verb (dialectal) To rain slightly, in scattered, infrequent drops, for example when first beginning to rain.
- verb (transitive) To remove, or attempt to remove, a stain. “I spotted the carpet where the child dropped spaghetti.”
- verb (transitive) To retouch a photograph on film to remove minor flaws.
- adjective (commerce, finance) Available on the spot; for immediate payment or delivery. “spot wheat”
- adjective (informal) Exact; precise. “The other bus meets yours at the intersection within one minute; it's a spot connection, and you might not make it.”
- proper noun A popular given name for a dog
Synonyms
ace atom thought atomy aught bissel continental bit crumb glimpse dab damn dash diddly glint dot spatter drop dusting fleck topographic point place point smudge blot daub smear smirch slur speckle
Etymology
From Middle English spot, spotte, partially from Middle Dutch spotte (“spot, speck”), and partially merging with Middle English splot, from Old English splott (“spot, plot of land”), from Proto-West Germanic *splott, from Proto-Germanic *spluttaz (“segment”), from Proto-Indo-European *splt-no- (“an off-split, segment”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pel- (“to split”).
Cognate with North Frisian spot (“speck, piece of ground”), Low German spot (“speck”), Old Norse spotti (“small piece”). See also splot, splotch.
From spot.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A mark on a substance or body made by foreign matter; a blot; a place discolored.
- noun A stain on character or reputation; something that soils purity; disgrace; reproach; fault; blemish.
- verb To make visible marks upon with some foreign matter; to discolor in or with spots; to stain; to cover with spots or figures; as, to spot a garnment; to spot paper.
- verb To mark or note so as to insure recognition; to recognize; to detect; as, to spot a criminal. [Cant]
Etymology [Cf. Scot. & D. spat, Dan. spette, Sw. spott spittle, slaver; from the root of E. spit. See Spit to eject from the mouth, and cf. Spatter.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “spot”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details