spate
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spate
- /speɪt/ US, UK
Sounds like speight · Rhymes with -eɪt
Where it comes from
The noun is derived from Middle English spate, spait (“a flood”), influenced by Scots spate (“torrent of water, flood; heavy downpour of rain; (figurative) bout of drinking; large crowd of people; flood of events, words, etc.”). The further etymology of the Middle English and Scots words is uncertain; they are possibly related to English spatter and Dutch spatten (“to spatter, splash”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sp(y)ēw-, *spyū- (whence English spit (“to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.”)), which is imitative of spitting.
The verb is derived from the noun, probably influenced by Scots spate (“to flood, swell; to rain heavily; (figurative) to scold fiercely”).
noun spates · spat
- A (sudden) flood or inundation of water; specifically, a flood in or overflow of a river or other watercourse due to heavy rain or melting snow; (uncountable, archaic) flooding, inundation. Thys Lepidium that Pliny & Paul [of Aegina] deſcribe⸝ groweth plentuouſly about the water ſyde that rynneth thorow Morpeth in Northumberland⸝ in ſuche places as great heapes of ſtones are caſten together wyth the myght of a great ſpat or flood.
- A sudden heavy downpour of rain. Doun comes a jaw o' droukin' rain / Upon their honours— / God sends a spate outower the plain, / Or mebbe thun'ers.
- A sudden increase or rush of something; a flood, an outburst, an outpouring. Thy rural loves are nature's ſel; / Nae bombaſt ſpates o' nonſenſe ſwell; / Nae ſnap conceits, but that ſweet ſpell / O' witchin love, […]
verb spates · spating · spated
- To (suddenly) flood or inundate (a river or other watercourse) with water. [H]e paused in a reverie of wilderment and wonder when he could not discern the old fishing-places—they were deeply and darkly flooded for many yards on every side of the spated stream.
- To (suddenly) rain heavily; to pour.
Translations
Every language
noun (countable) (sudden) flood or inundation of water; (uncountable) flooding, inundation
| Español | aluvión, riada |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 홍수 hongsu |
| 日本語 | 洪水 kōzui, 大水 |
| 中文 | 氾濫 /氾滥 fànlàn, 洪水 hóngshuǐ |
| Français | crue |
| Русский | наводне́ние navodnénije, па́водок pávodok |
noun sudden increase or rush of something — see also flood, outburst, outpouring
| Español | avalancha |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ほとばしり hotobashiri, 続発 zokuhatsu |
| 中文 | 突然迸發 /突然迸发 tūránbèngfā, túránbèngfā |
| Français | recrudescence |
| Русский | наплыв naplyv |
Talk about this word "spate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/spate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. spate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/spate "spate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/spate.Cite this
@misc{spate_2026,
title = {spate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/spate},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
