I. spat 1 /spæt/ BrE AmE
the past tense and past participle of ↑ spit 1
II. spat 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Sense 1: Date: 1800-1900 ; Origin: Perhaps from the sound of a blow. ]
[ Sense 2: Date: 1800-1900 ; Origin: spatterdash 'spat' (17-20 centuries) , from spatter + dash ]
1 . informal a short unimportant quarrel:
a marital spat
2 . spats [plural] special pieces of cloth that fasten with buttons on top of a man’s shoes, worn in the past