I. ˈsprit, usu -id.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English spret, sprit, from Old English sprēot pole, spear; akin to Old English sprūtan to sprout — more at sprout
1. archaic : a boat pole
2. : a spar that crosses a fore-and-aft sail diagonally from the mast near the tack of the sail to the upper aftmost corner that it extends and elevates
II. intransitive verb
( spritted ; spritted ; spritting ; sprits )
Etymology: Middle English sprutten, from Old English spryttan; akin to Middle High German sprützen to sprout, squirt, Norwegian spruta to spurt, squirt, Old English sprūtan to sprout — more at sprout
: sprout , bud , germinate
III. noun
( -s )
1. : shoot , sprout
2. chiefly Scotland : a reedy plant : rush
3. : a fine speck in unbleached linen — usually used in plural