spittoon
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of spittoon
Explanation
A spittoon is a bowl or other container that's made for spitting into. Your tobacco-chewing uncle might keep a spittoon on his porch. Spittoons are fairly old fashioned — in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was common to find public spittoons, usually made of brass, in places like banks and hotels. You can really call anything that's used to hold saliva a spittoon, like a beer can or a coffee mug, although the word thankfully doesn't come up as frequently as it used to, since chewing tobacco is less common. In the late 1600s, it was called a spitting box.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For 57 years, the team has treated its host city like a spittoon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2023
He sat down in an armchair in the study of his home, a porcelain spittoon on the floor nearby.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 20, 2022
The world is your spittoon and hygiene is unpatriotic!
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2021
And you couldn’t go to the barber shop without walking by at least one spittoon.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 23, 2019
On the floor at the side of the desk was a spittoon overflowing with mucus.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
