I. ˈpich noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English pich, from Old English pic, from Latin pic-, pix; akin to Greek pissa, pitta pitch, Old Slavic pĭkŭlŭ pitch, Latin opimus fat, copious — more at fat
1. : any of various black or dark-colored viscous semisolid to solid substances obtained as residues in the distillation of tars or other organic materials: as
a. : a soft to hard and brittle substance that is obtained by distilling coal tar, contains principally aromatic resinous compounds together with aromatic and other hydrocarbons and their derivatives, and is used chiefly in waterproofing, impregnating, and binding
b. : a bright lustrous substance that is obtained by distilling wood tar, contains resin acids, and is used chiefly in plastics and insulating materials and in caulking seams
c. : a usually soft substance that is obtained by distilling fats, fatty oils, or fatty acids (as from the manufacture of soap or candles), contains polymers and decomposition products, and is used chiefly in varnishes and paints and in floor coverings — called also fatty acid pitch, stearin pitch
2. : any of various bituminous substances
mineral pitch
3. : a resin that is obtained from various coniferous trees and is often of medicinal value
pine pitch
4. : any of various artificial mixtures (as of rosin with oils or waxes) resembling resinous or bituminous pitches ; specifically : a mixture of crude pitch, powdered resin, plaster of paris, and tallow used in metalcraft to form a base for supporting and fixing work while tooling or to furnish a supporting filling for a hollow object being worked on
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English pichen, from Old English pician, from pic, n.
: to cover or smear with or as if with pitch : treat with pitch : apply pitch to
III. verb
( pitched or archaic pight ˈpīt ; pitched or archaic pight ; pitching ; pitches )
Etymology: Middle English picchen, pichen; perhaps akin to Old English pīcung pricking — more at pick
transitive verb
1.
a. archaic : to fix firmly in or on something : make secure
built of the round sea pebbles pitched in mortar — Joseph Jekyll
b.
(1) : to erect (a tent) and fix firmly in place
decided to pitch their tents there for the night
(2) : to set up (a camp) by erecting tents
moved the camp away from where it had been pitched
(3) : to set up (a wicket used in the game of cricket) by driving into the ground
the wickets are pitched opposite and parallel to each other
c. archaic : to spread out (as a net, a snare) and make secure
pitches toils to stop the flight — John Dryden
2. archaic
a. : to locate in or move into a particular place or position so as to cause to be situated securely or permanently
the abrupt hill on which the town … is pitched — William Black
b. : to turn (as the eyes, thoughts) toward something : direct
pitching her mind among the enjoyments of Corinth — Leigh Hunt
3. : throw , fling : as
a. : to take up (as hay) with a pitchfork and toss to a particular area
watched the farmers pitching hay
b.
(1) : to bowl (a cricket ball) to a particular point
(2) : to deliver (a baseball) to a batter
pitched a fast ball to him and he struck out
(3) : to toss (as coins) so as to cause to fall at or near a particular mark
boys pitching pennies
liked to pitch horseshoes
c. : hurl
pitched the spear over their heads
4.
a. obsolete : to furnish with things that are stuck in or placed on
pitching the top with multitude of stakes — Henry Holcroft
b. archaic : to set (as a road, path) with a layer of pebbles or stones
5.
a. chiefly Britain : to set out or display (goods) for sale especially in a market
b. : to sell, peddle, or advertise (goods) especially in a high-pressure way
pitching a new line of refrigerators
6. obsolete : to state or establish as definite
first they pitch their conclusion and then hunt about for premises — Joseph Hall
7.
a.
(1) : to cause to be at a particular level
pitched their aspirations too high
or of a particular overall quality
pitching the conversation along idealistic lines
(2) : to cause (as the voice) to have a particular highness or lowness of tone : give a particular musical pitch to
pitched her voice too high
(3) : to set in a particular musical key
pitched the melody in the key of A
b. : to cause to be set at a particular angle
pitched the roof too steep
8. chiefly dialect : to put into the ground to grow : plant
9. : to cause to be loosened and lost
the ship was in danger of pitching her masts in the heavy sea
10. : pit 2b
11.
a. chiefly Britain : narrate , tell
pitch a yarn that not even a child would have believed
b. : to utter, state, or deliver with a glibness typically marked by exaggeration, artificial fervor, insincerity, or deceptiveness
was disgusted with the line she pitched
12. : to start fermentation in (as wort) by adding some substance
13.
a. : to lead (a card of a specified suit) in some games
b. : to establish (trump) by such leading
14. : to make a pitch shot with (a golf ball)
15.
a. : to choose and put into a particular ball game as a usually starting pitcher
the manager had a hard time deciding which player to pitch
b. : to play (a game of ball) in the position of pitcher
pitched a perfect game
pitched the first three innings
16. : to chip (a stone) so as to have straight lines and a flat surface : square
17. : fit V 2d(6)
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to fall precipitately : fall headlong heavily : plunge headlong
b.
(1) of a ship : to have the bow alternately plunge precipitately down and rise abruptly up
pitch and roll in a rough sea
(2) of an airplane : to turn about a lateral axis so that the nose rises or falls in relation to the tail
(3) of a missile or spacecraft : to turn about a lateral axis that is both perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and horizontal with respect to the earth
c. : to plunge forward with a movement suggestive of a pitching ship
d. : buck 1
2.
a. : encamp
pitched on the other side of the hill
b.
(1) archaic : to settle down in a particular place or position
the first settlers pitched here — Jeremy Belknap
(2) : to make a choice of something usually in a rather casual way : fix on something — used with on or upon
the place which he pitched upon for his trading post — Washington Irving
3. : to incline forward and downward : slope , dip
a vein of ore pitching 36 degrees east
4.
a. : to pitch something ; especially : to pitch a baseball or softball
a pitcher that really knows how to pitch
b. : to play ball as a pitcher : have the position of pitcher
pitched for 10 years before retiring
c. : to make a pitch shot in golf
5. cricket , of a bowled ball : to strike the ground before being played by a batsman
the ball pitched short of a length
6. : to exert oneself energetically against odds : fight courageously against difficulties and opposition
no matter what happened, he stayed in there pitching
Synonyms: see plunge , throw
•
- pitch into
- pitch woo
IV. noun
( -es )
1.
a.
(1) : the action of pitching
(2) : a particular manner of pitching
b. Britain : a quantity of goods displayed for sale
2.
a. : degree of slope : slope: as
(1) : the inclination of a roof as determined by the ratio of the height to the span
(2) : the inclination of a flight of stairs as determined by the angle of the nosing line with the floor
(3) : the angle of setting (as of a plowshare, a carpenter's plane iron, or a propeller blade)
(4) : the angle that the cutting edge of a saw tooth makes with a line parallel to the points of the teeth
(5) : the angle of a shotgun barrel from the vertical when the butt of the gun is at right angles to the vertical
(6) : the angle at which finger holes are bored in a bowling ball
(7) : the angle at which a heel is attached to the sole of a shoe
(8) : the dip or inclination of a vein or bed of a mineral ; especially : plunge 4
b. : the distance between two points of a mechanical part or between two such parts: as
(1) : the distance between a point on a gear tooth or sprocket tooth and a corresponding point on the next tooth
(2) : the distance between a point on one of the threads of a screw and a corresponding point on an adjacent thread
(3) : the distance between a pair of paddles on a wheel
(4) : the distance between a pair of rivet holes
(5) : the distance between a pair of stays (as in a steam boiler)
(6) : the distance between two points on the circumference of an armature
c.
(1) : the longitudinal distance between corresponding edges of successive perforations in motion-picture film
(2) : the distance between successive grooves of a disc recording
d. : the distance advanced by a propeller in one revolution — called also effective pitch
e. : a unit of width of typewriter type based on the number of times a letter can be set in a linear inch
elite is a 12- pitch type
f. : a unit of measure of carpet fineness based on the number of warp threads within a length of usually 27 inches
g.
(1) : the number of teeth (as of a gear) or of threads (as of a screw) per inch
(2) : the number of grooves per inch in a disc recording
3.
a. archaic : the highest point : summit
driven headlong from the pitch of heaven — John Milton
: the highest or most intense degree : zenith , acme , top
when the general hilarity was at its pitch — William Black
singing at the pitch of their voices — J.H.Newman
b. archaic : altitude , elevation
just of his size, complexion, and pitch — Edmund Hickeringill
flies at a much higher pitch — Henry Hallam
c. archaic : the tip of a piece of land (as a cape) extending into a body of water
4.
a. : the relative level, intensity, or extent of some quality or state
were at a high pitch of excitement
b.
(1) : the highness or lowness of a musical tone dependent on the number of vibrations (as of the string of a musical instrument, the vocal cords) per second and the resultant corresponding number of sound waves reaching the ear per second in such a way that the greater the number of vibrations the higher the tone and the fewer the number of vibrations the lower the tone
(2) : a tone produced by a particular number of vibrations per second and a corresponding number of sound waves per second and chosen as a standard (as in tuning musical instruments) — see absolute pitch , international pitch , philharmonic pitch
c.
(1) : the difference in the relative vibration frequency of the human voice that contributes to the total meaning of ear-apprehended speech by being (as in Chinese) an integral part of a word and essential to the conveyance of its minimal meaning or by varying (as in English) according to the intended minimal meaning of a word with different meanings
(2) : a definite relative pitch that is a significant phenomenon (as a phoneme) in speech — symbols 1 (highest), 2, 3, 4 (lowest)
5. : a steep place : a steep ascent or descent : declivity
6.
a. : a place where one stations oneself or where one settles down: as
(1) archaic : a piece of ground selected for a place of residence : abode
(2) Britain : the open-air stand of one who conducts business on the street
a shoeblack, whose pitch is at the corner — Punch
(3) : a place in a river chosen for angling
(4) : the piece of ground assigned to a tributer in Cornwall
b.
(1) chiefly Britain : a field used for playing some games (as soccer, cricket)
(2) : the specially prepared part of a cricket field between the bowling creases : wicket
7. : length 10a
8. : an all-fours game in which the first card led must be a trump ; especially : auction pitch
9.
a. chiefly Britain : chat
b.
(1) : a typically high-pressure sales talk
(2) : a commercial advertisement
(3) : recommendation , boost , plug
c. : a line of talk or way of speaking or writing marked by glibness and typically by exaggeration, artificial fervor, insincerity, or deceptiveness
10.
a. : pitch shot
b.
(1) : the delivery of a baseball by a pitcher to a batter
(2) : a baseball so thrown
c. : a pass in football
[s]pitch.jpg[/s] [
staff notation of pitch 4b(1)
]
V. transitive verb
: to attempt to persuade especially with a sales pitch
pitched them on the idea
VI. noun
: the portion of a route (as in mountain climbing or caving) between belay points