PITCH


Meaning of PITCH in English

I. ˈpich noun

Etymology: Middle English pich, from Old English pic, from Latin pic-, pix; akin to Greek pissa pitch, Old Church Slavic pĭcĭlŭ

Date: before 12th century

1. : a black or dark viscous substance obtained as a residue in the distillation of organic materials and especially tars

2. : any of various bituminous substances

3. : resin obtained from various conifers and often used medicinally

4. : any of various artificial mixtures resembling resinous or bituminous pitches

II. transitive verb

Date: before 12th century

: to cover, smear, or treat with or as if with pitch

III. verb

Etymology: Middle English pichen to thrust, drive, fix firmly, probably from Old English * piccan, from Vulgar Latin * piccare — more at pike

Date: 13th century

transitive verb

1. : to erect and fix firmly in place

pitch a tent

2. : to throw usually with a particular objective or toward a particular point

pitch hay onto a wagon

as

a. : to throw (a baseball) to a batter

b. : to toss (as coins) so as to fall at or near a mark

pitch pennies

c. : to put aside or discard by or as if by throwing

pitch ed the trash into the bin

decided to pitch the whole idea

3.

a. : to present or advertise especially in a high-pressure way : plug , promote

b. : to attempt to persuade especially with a sales pitch

c. : to present (a movie or program idea) for consideration (as by a TV producer)

4.

a.

(1) : to cause to be at a particular level or of a particular quality

a test pitch ed at a 5th-grade reading level

(2) : to set in a particular musical key

b. : to cause to be set at a particular angle : slope

5. : to utter glibly and insincerely

6.

a. : to use as a starting pitcher

b. : to play as pitcher

7. : to hit (a golf ball) in a high arc with backspin so that it rolls very little after striking the green

8. : throw 14

pitch a fit

intransitive verb

1.

a. : to fall precipitately or headlong

b.

(1) of a ship : to have the bow alternately plunge precipitately and rise abruptly

(2) of an aircraft, missile, or spacecraft : to turn about a lateral axis so that the forward end rises or falls in relation to the after end

c. : buck 1

2. : encamp

3. : to hit upon or happen upon something

pitch upon the perfect gift

4. : to incline downward : slope

5.

a. : to throw a ball to a batter

b. : to play ball as a pitcher

c. : to pitch a golf ball

6. : to make a sales pitch

Synonyms: see throw

- pitch into

IV. noun

Date: 1542

1.

a. : slope ; also : degree of slope : rake

b. : the distance between any of various things: as

(1) : distance between one point on a gear tooth and the corresponding point on the next tooth

(2) : distance from any point on the thread of a screw to the corresponding point on an adjacent thread measured parallel to the axis

c. : the theoretical distance a propeller would advance longitudinally in one revolution

d. : the number of teeth or of threads per inch

e. : a unit of width of type based on the number of times a letter can be set in a linear inch

2. : the action or a manner of pitching ; especially : an up-and-down movement — compare yaw

3. archaic : top , zenith

4.

a. : the relative level, intensity, or extent of some quality or state

tensions rose to a feverish pitch

b.

(1) : the property of a sound and especially a musical tone that is determined by the frequency of the waves producing it : highness or lowness of sound

(2) : a standard frequency for tuning instruments

c.

(1) : the difference in the relative vibration frequency of the human voice that contributes to the total meaning of speech

(2) : a definite relative pitch that is a significant phenomenon in speech

5.

a. : a steep place : declivity

b. : the portion of a route (as in mountain climbing or caving) between belay points

6. chiefly British

a. : an outdoor site (as for camping or doing business)

b. : playing field 1

7. : an all-fours game in which the first card led is a trump

8.

a. : an often high-pressure sales presentation

b. : advertisement

c. : recommendation , plug

made a pitch for tax cuts

9.

a. : the delivery of a baseball by a pitcher to a batter

b. : a baseball so thrown

c. : pitchout 2

• pitched ˈpicht adjective

[

pitch 4b(1): two systems of staff notation of pitch

]

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.