DictionaryspitRoasting rod
noun / verb

spit

A rod used to hold food while roasting.

The chicken turns slowly on a spit above the fire.

Etymology

The Old English word already named the pointed roasting rod. The modern cooking use continues that concrete tool-name.

More examples

  • Slide the meat onto the spit before lighting the grill.
  • Two long spits hold the lambs over the coals.
  • The cook spitted the chicken and secured it with forks.

Forms

spit · spits · spitted · spitting

Similar words

skewer
Usually smaller, holding pieces of food rather than whole roasts.
rotisserie
The cooking apparatus that rotates a spit, not the rod alone.