spigot

[spig-uht]

noun

1. a small peg or plug for stopping the vent of a cask.

2. a peg or plug for stopping the passage of liquid in a faucet or cock.

3. a faucet or cock for controlling the flow of liquid from a pipe or the like.

4. the end of a pipe that enters the enlarged end of another pipe to form a joint.

spigot

/ ˈspɪɡət /

noun

1. a stopper for the vent hole of a cask

2. a tap, usually of wood, fitted to a cask

3. a US name for tap 2

4. a short cylindrical projection on one component designed to fit into a hole on another, esp the male part of a joint ( spigot and socket joint ) between two pipes

Word History and Origins

Origin of spigot¹

1350–1400; Middle English spigot, perhaps < Old French *espigot < Old Provençal espig ( a ) (< Latin spīca ear of grain; spica ) + Old French -ot diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of spigot¹

C14: probably from Old Provençal espiga a head of grain, from Latin spīca a point

Example Sentences

At the same time, use of the Fed’s standing repo facility — seen as a liquidity spigot for financial institutions in search of short-term cash to finance their operations — increased in late October.

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The spigot will reopen next week with important reports from Nvidia, which will shed new light on the AI trade, and from Home Depot, Walmart and Target, which will provide an important state-of-the-consumer update.

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Corporation for Public Broadcasting before Congress shut off the spigot.

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“They can turn the spigot on or off whenever they want to.”

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China’s gambit underscored the dangers of relying on a national superpower that can damage fortunes by turning off the trade spigot.

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Related Words

• nozzle 
• valve