slit

[ slit ]

/ slɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slit ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), slit, slit·ting.

to cut apart or open along a line; make a long cut, fissure, or opening in.

to cut or rend into strips; split.

noun

a straight, narrow cut, opening, or aperture.

Nearby words

slipstream, slipstreaming, slipt, slipware, slipway, slit, slit fricative, slit pocket, slit trench, slit-drum, slither

Origin of slit

1175–1225; Middle English slitte (noun), slitten (v.); cognate with German schlitzen to split, slit; akin to Old English slite a slit, geslit a bite, slītan to split; see slice

Related formsslit·less, adjectiveslit·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for slit

Slice challah bread into 1.5 inches then slit hole in middle of each slice and fill with Nutella.
Epic Meal Empire’s Meat Monstrosities: From the Bacon Spider to the Cinnabattleship|Harley Morenstein|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His name was Alexander, and he had a rifle in his hands, but the eyes you could see through the slit in the mask looked friendly.
Held at Gunpoint by Ukraine Rebels|Anna Nemtsova|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The opposite bank was manned by Germans, and in the darkness Deane-Drummond fell into a slit trench on top of a German soldier.
The Perfect Telegraph Obituary|David Frum|December 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
First the contrite-but-not-really Massa offered to slit his wrists on camera.
Beck and Massa's 5 Craziest Moments|The Daily Beast Video|March 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST

They sometimes turn this slit over the upper part, and then the ear looks as if the flap was cut off.
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 14|Robert Kerr
Flowers with very thick or milky stems should be slit up about half an inch, and woody stems are best peeled for an inch or two.
What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games and Pastimes|Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Harry Luttrell had reached the letter-box when he caught sight of her, but he quite forgot to drop his letter through the slit.
The Summons|A.E.W. Mason
The slit over the telescope was open, which showed that the astronomer was at work.
The City in the Clouds|C. Ranger Gull
As it is cooling the slit becomes narrower and the blade is firmly squeezed into the bone handle.
The Central Eskimo|Franz Boas

British Dictionary definitions for slit

slit

/ (slɪt) /

verb slits, slitting or slit (tr)

to make a straight long incision in; split open

to cut into strips lengthwise

to sever

noun

a long narrow cut

a long narrow opening

Derived Formsslitter, noun

Word Origin for slit

Old English slītan to slice; related to Old Norse slita, Old High German slīzen

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for slit (1 of 2)

slit

c.1200, from or related to Old English slitan "to slit, tear, split, rend to pieces; bite, sting; back-bite," from Proto-Germanic *slitan (cf. Old Saxon slitan, Old Frisian slita, Old Norse slita, Middle Low German and Middle Dutch sliten, Dutch slijten, Old High German slizan, German schleißen "to slit"). A more violent verb in Old English than after, e.g. slitcwealm "death by rending." Slit skirt is attested from 1913.A slitting-mill (1660s) cut iron plates into thin rods for making nails, etc.

Word Origin and History for slit (1 of 2)

slit

mid-13c., "long cut or rent (in clothes), incision," from slit (v.). Slang sense of "vulva" is attested from 1640s. Old English had slit (n.) with a sense of "a rending, bite; backbiting."

slit

verb (used with object), slit, slit·ting.

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of slit

Examples from the Web for slit

British Dictionary definitions for slit

slit

verb slits, slitting or slit (tr)

noun

Word Origin for slit

Word Origin and History for slit (1 of 2)

slit

Word Origin and History for slit (1 of 2)

slit