Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SPIT, n.¹ [Sax. spitu; D. spit; G. spiess; Sw. spett; Dan. spid; It. spiedo; Ice. spiet, a spear. It belongs to Class Bd, and is from thrusting, shooting.]

1. An iron prong or bar pointed, on which meat is roasted.
2. Such a depth of earth as is pierced by the spade at once. [D. spit, a spade.] – Mortimer.
3. A small point of land running into the sea, or a long narrow shoal extending from the shore into the sea; as, a spit of sand.