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squirt (skwûrt)
Share:
v. squirt·ed, squirt·ing, squirts
v.intr.
1. To flow from a narrow opening in a thin forceful stream or jet; spurt.
2. To issue in a thick flow: A dab of toothpaste squirted from the tube.
3. To eject liquid in a forceful stream or thick flow: squeezed the lemon till it squirted.
4. To move in a sudden dart or burst: "The pigeon squirted out of the old man's hand into the cage" (E. Annie Proulx).
v.tr.
1. To eject (liquid) forcibly in a thin stream from a narrow opening.
2. To squeeze out or extrude in a thick flow: squirted a bead of caulk into the crack.
3. To wet with a spurt of liquid.
n.
1. The act of squirting.
2. An instrument, such as a syringe, used for squirting.
3. A squirted jet of liquid.
4. Slang
a. A small or young person.
b. An insignificant or contemptible person.
[Middle English squirten, possibly of Middle Dutch or Middle Low German origin; akin to Low German swirtjen.]
squirter n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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