different between spoil vs spot

English

Etymology

From Middle English spoilen, spuylen, borrowed from Old French espoillier, espollier, espuler, from Latin spoli?re, present active infinitive of spoli? (“pillage, ruin, spoil”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: spoil, IPA^(key): /sp??l/

• Rhymes: -??l

Verb

spoil (third-person singular simple present spoils, present participle spoiling, simple past and past participle spoiled or spoilt)

1. (transitive, archaic) To strip (someone who has been killed or defeated) of their arms or armour. [from 14th c.]
2. (transitive, archaic) To strip or deprive (someone) of their possessions; to rob, despoil. [from 14th c.]
   • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Acts 9:21:

     All that herde hym wer amased and sayde: ys nott this he that spoylled them whych called on this name in Jerusalem?

   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, VII:

     To do her dye (quoth Vna) were despight, / And shame t'auenge so weake an enimy; / But spoile her of her scarlot robe, and let her fly.
3. (transitive, intransitive, archaic) To plunder, pillage (a city, country etc.). [from 14th c.]

   • Outlaws, which, lurking in woods, used to break forth to rob and spoil.

4. (transitive, obsolete) To carry off (goods) by force; to steal. [14th-19th c.]
   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Mark 3.27,^[1]

     No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man.

   • 1677, Hannah Woolley, The Compleat Servant-Maid, London: T. Passinger, p. 35,^[2]

     They must likewise endeavour to be careful in looking after the rest of the Servants, that every one perform their duty in their several places, that they keep good hours in their up-rising and lying down, and that no Goods be either spoiled or embezelled.

   • 1814, Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, Chapter 38,^[3]

     […] it was her own knife; little sister Mary had left it to her upon her deathbed, and she ought to have had it to keep herself long ago. But mama kept it from her, and was always letting Betsey get hold of it; and the end of it would be that Betsey would spoil it, and get it for her own, though mama had promised her that Betsey should not have it in her own hands.

5. (transitive) To ruin; to damage (something) in some way making it unfit for use. [from 16th c.]
   • 1650, Jeremy Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living

     Spiritual pride […] spoils so many graces.

   • "I don't want to spoil any comparison you are going to make," said Jim, "but I was at Winchester and New College." ¶ "That will do," said Mackenzie. "I was dragged up at the workhouse school till I was twelve. […]"

   • 2011, ‘What the Arab papers say’, The Economist, 5 Aug 2011:

     ‘This is a great day for us. Let us not spoil it by saying the wrong thing, by promoting a culture of revenge, or by failing to treat the former president with respect.’

6. (transitive) To ruin the character of, by overindulgence; to coddle or pamper to excess. [from 17th c.]
7. (intransitive) Of food, to become bad, sour or rancid; to decay. [from 17th c.]

   Make sure you put the milk back in the fridge, otherwise it will spoil.

8. (transitive) To render (a ballot paper) invalid by deliberately defacing it. [from 19th c.]
   • 2003, David Nicoll, The Guardian, letter:

     Dr Jonathan Grant (Letters, April 22) feels the best way to show his disaffection with political parties over Iraq is to spoil his ballot paper.

9. (transitive) To reveal the ending or major events of (a story etc.); to ruin (a surprise) by exposing it ahead of time.
10. (aviation) To reduce the lift generated by an airplane or wing by deflecting air upwards, usually with a spoiler.

Synonyms

• (ruin): damage, destroy, ruin
• (coddle): coddle, pamper, indulge, mollycoddle

Related terms

• despoil

Translations

Noun

spoil (plural spoils)

1. (Also in plural: spoils) Plunder taken from an enemy or victim.
2. (uncountable) Material (such as rock or earth) removed in the course of an excavation, or in mining or dredging. Tailings. Such material could be utilised somewhere else.

Synonyms

• (plunder taken from an enemy or victim): See Thesaurus:booty
• (material moved): gangue, slag, tailings

Derived terms

• spoiler

Translations

See also

• spoilage
• spoils of war
• spoilsport
• spoilt
• too many cooks spoil the broth

References

• spoil at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• -polis, Polis, polis

English

Etymology

From Middle English spot, spotte, partially from Middle Dutch spotte (“spot, speck”), and partially merging with Middle English splot, from Old English splott (“spot, plot of land”). Cognate with North Frisian spot (“speck, piece of ground”), Low German spot (“speck”), Old Norse spotti (“small piece”). See also splot, splotch.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /sp?t/
• Rhymes: -?t
• (US) IPA^(key): /sp?t/

Noun

spot (plural spots)

1. A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape.

   The leopard is noted for the spots of color in its fur.

   Why do ladybugs have spots?

2. A stain or disfiguring mark.

   I have tried everything, and I can’t get this spot out.

3. A pimple, papule or pustule.

   That morning, I saw that a spot had come up on my chin.

   I think she's got chicken pox; she's covered in spots.

4. A small, unspecified amount or quantity.

   Would you like to come round on Sunday for a spot of lunch?

5. (slang, US) A bill of five-dollar or ten-dollar denomination in dollars.

   Here's the twenty bucks I owe you, a ten spot and two five spots.

6. A location or area.

   I like to eat lunch in a pleasant spot outside.

   For our anniversary we went back to the same spot where we first met.

   • 1800, William Wordsworth, Hart-leap Well

     "A jolly place," said he, "in times of old! / But something ails it now: the spot is curs'd."

   • 2011, Tom Fordyce, Rugby World Cup 2011: England 12-19 France [1]

     Yachvilli made it 6-0 with a second sweet strike from 45 metres after Matt Stevens was penalised for collapsing a scrum, and then slid another penalty just wide from the same spot.

7. A parking space.
8. (sports) An official determination of placement.

   The fans were very unhappy with the referee's spot of the ball.

9. A bright lamp; a spotlight.
10. (US, advertising) A brief advertisement or program segment on television.

    Did you see the spot on the news about the shoelace factory?

11. Difficult situation; predicament.

    She was in a real spot when she ran into her separated husband while on a date.

12. (gymnastics, dance, weightlifting) One who spots (supports or assists a maneuver, or is prepared to assist if safety dictates); a spotter.
13. (soccer) Penalty spot.
14. The act of spotting or noticing something.

    - You've misspelled "terrapin" here.

    - Whoops. Good spot.

15. A variety of the common domestic pigeon, so called from a spot on its head just above the beak.
16. A food fish (Leiostomus xanthurus) of the Atlantic coast of the United States, with a black spot behind the shoulders and fifteen oblique dark bars on the sides.
17. The southern redfish, or red horse (Sciaenops ocellatus), which has a spot on each side at the base of the tail.
18. (in the plural, brokers' slang, dated) Commodities, such as merchandise and cotton, sold for immediate delivery.
19. An autosoliton.
20. (finance) A decimal point; point.

    Twelve spot two five pounds sterling. (ie. £12.25)

21. Any of various points marked on the table, from which balls are played, in snooker, pool, billiards, etc.
22. Any of the balls marked with spots in the game of pool, which one player aims to pot, the other player taking the stripes.

Hyponyms

• sitspot
• shot spot
• sweet spot

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Catalan: espot

Translations

Verb

spot (third-person singular simple present spots, present participle spotting, simple past and past participle spotted)

1. (transitive) To see, find; to pick out, notice, locate, distinguish or identify.
2. (finance) To loan a small amount of money to someone.

   I’ll spot you ten dollars for lunch.

3. (transitive, intransitive) To stain; to leave a spot (on).

   Hard water will spot if it is left on a surface.

   a garment spotted with mould

4. To remove, or attempt to remove, a stain.

   I spotted the carpet where the child dropped spaghetti.

5. To retouch a photograph on film to remove minor flaws.
6. (gymnastics, dance, weightlifting, climbing) To support or assist a maneuver, or to be prepared to assist if safety dictates.

   I can’t do a back handspring unless somebody spots me.

7. (dance) To keep the head and eyes pointing in a single direction while turning.

   Most figure skaters do not spot their turns like dancers do.

8. To stain; to blemish; to taint; to disgrace; to tarnish, as reputation.

   • Link not me in self same chain With the wicked-working folk, Who their spotted thoughts do cloak.

   • If ever I shall close these eyes but once, / May I live spotted for my perjury.

9. To cut or chip (timber) in preparation for hewing.
10. To place an object at a location indicated by a spot. Notably in billiards or snooker.

    The referee had to spot the pink on the blue spot.

Translations

Adjective

spot (not comparable)

1. (commerce, finance) Available on the spot; for immediate payment or delivery.

   spot wheat; spot cash; a spot contract

Translations

Anagrams

• OTPs, POST, POTS, PTOs, Post, TPOs, opts, post, post-, post., pots, stop, tops

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?sb??d?]

Etymology 1

From the verb spotte (“to mock”). Compare Old Norse spottr, German Spott.

Noun

spot c (singular definite spotten, not used in plural form)

1. mockery, ridicule
   • 2013, Jan Guillou, Vejen til Jerusalem, Modtryk ?ISBN

     Men at også den anden søn savnede alle mandlige dyder, var straks værre og gjorde spotten større.

     But that the other son, too, lacked all male virtues, was much worse and enlarged the mockery.

   • 2010, Tove Ditlevsen, Man gjorde et barn fortræd, Gyldendal A/S ?ISBN

     Hun havde råd til at smile igen, så ligegyldig var deres spot hende.

     She could afford to smile back, that was how little she cared about their ridicule.

   • 2015, Jørgen Christensen, Muhammed-tegningerne, demokratiet og sikkerhedspolitikken, BoD – Books on Demand ?ISBN, page 9

     I artiklen skrev kulturredaktør Flemming Rose bl.a., at muslimer måtte acceptere, at deres religiøse følelser blev udsat for hån, spot og latterliggørelse^[sic]:...

     In the article, editor of culture Flemming Rose wrote, among other things, that muslims had to accept their religious feelings being made the object of mockery, derision and ridicule:...

   • 2014, Fjodor M. Dostojevskij, Minder fra dødens hus, Bechs Forlag - Viatone ?ISBN

     Først sporede man hos alle en heftig forbitrelse, derefter en dyb nedslåethed, og endelig syntes al sindsbevægelse at vige pladsen for hoverende spot.

     At first, one saw with everyone a hefty bitterness, then a deep sadness, and finally, all emotion seemed to recede, making way for gloating mockery.

Inflection

Etymology 2

From English spot.

Noun

spot c or n (singular definite spotten or spottet, plural indefinite spot or spots)

1. spotlight
   • 1982, Lene H. Bagger, Idioterne, p. 179

     I millisekundet hvor lyset satte spots på hendes uforberedte ansigt, røbede det hende

     In the short moment when the light turned the spotlight on her unprepared face, it revealed her

2. spot (short advertisement in radio or TV)
   • 2012, Jyllands-Posten

     Lego meddeler, at deres juleomsætning overgik alle forventninger på grund af spottene i TV 2

     LEGO informs that their Christmas sale surpassed all expectations due to the spots on TV 2

Inflection

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

spot

1. imperative of spotte

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sp?t/
• Rhymes: -?t

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch spot, from Old Dutch *spot, from Proto-Germanic *spuþþaz.

Noun

spot m (uncountable)

1. mockery

   Synonyms: spotternij, plagerij, pesterij

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English spot.

Noun

spot m (plural spots, diminutive spotje n)

1. spot; a spotlight.
2. spot; a brief segment on television.

Anagrams

• post, stop

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English spot.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sp?t/

Noun

spot m (plural spots)

1. (physics) light spot
2. blip (on radar)
3. (cinematography, theater) spotlight, spot
4. (surfing) area
5. (television) spot; a brief segment on television.

Further reading

• “spot” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• pots, stop

Indonesian

Etymology

From English spot.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?sp?t]
• Hyphenation: spot

Noun

spot

1. (colloquial) spot, a location or area.

Further reading

• “spot” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) Daring, Jakarta: Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, 2016.

Italian

Etymology

From English spot.

Noun

spot m (invariable)

1. spot (theatrical light; luminous point; brief radio or TV advertisment)

Anagrams

• post, stop

Further reading

• spot in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *spot, from Proto-Germanic *sputtaz.

Noun

spot m or n

1. joke, jest
2. mockery, derision

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Derived terms

• spotten

Descendants

• Dutch: spot

Further reading

• “spot”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929) , “spot”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, ?ISBN

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from English spot (“brief advertisement”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sp?t/

Noun

spot m inan

1. (neologism) spot, a short broadcast in television

Usage notes

Used for all short informational and promotional broadcasts, such as public service announcements, social campaigns, election ads and advertisements. The native counterpart reklama is restricted to advertisements.

Declension

Scottish Gaelic

Noun

spot m (genitive singular spoit, plural spotan)

1. spot, stain
2. spot, place

Synonyms

• (place): bad

Derived terms

• spot dall

Spanish

Noun

spot m (plural spots)

1. advert, ad

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English sport.

Noun

spot

1. sport

Volapük

Noun

spot (nominative plural spots)

1. sport

Declension