# spot
## 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”), from Proto-West Germanic *splott, from Proto-Germanic *spluttaz (“segment”), from Proto-Indo-European *splt-no- (“an off-split, segment”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pel- (“to split”). 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: /spɒt/
* Rhymes: -ɒt
* (US) IPA: /spɑt/
* Audio (US):(file)

### Noun

spot (plural spots)
* 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?
* A stain or disfiguring mark.
    I have tried everything, and I can’t get this spot out.
* 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.
* A symbol on a playing card, domino, die, etc. indicating its value; a pip.
* A small, unspecified amount or quantity.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:modicum
    Do come 'round on Sunday for a spot of tea, won't you?
* (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.
* 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.
** 1667, John Milton, “Book III”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:That spot to which I point is Paradise.
** 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: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.
* A parking space.
** 2011 March 23, “We asked mayoral candidates: Do you support 'dibs' on parking spots?”, in Chicago Sun-Times:Del Valle has the blessing of a garage, so he doesn't have to claim “dibs” on shoveled street spots himself, he said.
* (sports) An official determination of placement.
    The fans were very unhappy with the referee's spot of the ball.
* A bright lamp; a spotlight.
* (US, advertising) A brief advertisement or program segment on television.
    Did you see the spot on the news about the shoelace factory?
* A difficult situation.
    Synonyms: predicament; see also Thesaurus:difficult situation
    She was in a real spot when she ran into her separated husband while on a date.
* (gymnastics, dance, weightlifting) One who spots (supports or assists a maneuver, or is prepared to assist if safety dictates); a spotter.
* (soccer) Penalty spot.
** 2011 January 8, Chris Bevan, “Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds”, in BBC‎:The Gunners dominated for long periods but, against the run of play, Denilson fouled Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass put Leeds ahead from the spot.
* The act of spotting or noticing something.
    You've misspelled "terrapin" here. —Whoops. Good spot.
* A variety of the common domestic pigeon, so called from a spot on its head just above the beak.
* 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.
* The southern redfish, or red horse (Sciaenops ocellatus), which has a spot on each side at the base of the tail.
* (in the plural, brokers' slang, dated) Commodities, such as merchandise and cotton, sold for immediate delivery.
* (physics) An autosoliton.
* (finance) A decimal point; point.
    Twelve spot two five pounds sterling. ― £12.25
* Any of various points marked on the table, from which balls are played, in snooker, pool, billiards, etc.
* 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

* age spot
* Arago spot
* bald spot
* beauty spot
* blackspot
* blind spot
* blue spot
* bright spot
* brown spot
* Brushfield spot
* Campbell de Morgan spot
* cellspot
* center spot
* citrus black spot
* cold spot
* cover the spot
* C-spot
* dead spot
* faceoff spot
* five-spot
* flat spot
* Fordyce spot
* Fordyce's spot
* forty-spot
* Fresnel spot
* germinal spot
* Gräfenberg spot
* grease spot
* green spot
* G-spot
* heaven spot
* hit the spot
* hot spot
* in a bad spot
* Johnny-on-the-spot
* leaf spot
* lesser spot-nosed monkey
* milk spot
* Mongolian spot
* mother-spot
* night spot
* no-no spot
* oil spot
* on the spot
* on-the-spot
* parking spot
* pink spot
* plague spot
* Poisson spot
* power spot
* P-spot
* put on the spot
* rind oil spot
* rind-oil spot
* riveted to the spot
* rooted to the spot
* safety spot
* sitspot
* soft spot
* solar spot
* spot-backed antshrike
* spot-barred
* spot beam
* spot-billed pelican
* spot-breasted lapwing
* spot card
* spot cash
* spot-check
* spot check
* spot-clean
* spot color, spot colour
* spot date
* spot effect
* spot fire
* spot hire
* spot kick
* spot-legged poison frog
* spot lens
* spot market
* spot of bother
* spot-on
* spot on
* spot prawn
* spot price
* spot prize
* spot-red
* spot reduction
* spot remover
* spot report
* spot stroke
* spot-tailed
* spot test
* spot-throat
* spottish
* spot trade
* spotty
* spot welding
* spot-winged antshrike
* sun spot
* tar spot
* ten-spot
* three-spot seahorse
* tight spot
* top spot
* trouble spot
* water spot
* weak spot
* white spot
* white-spot disease
* white spot syndrome
* wide spot in the road
* X marks the spot
* yellow spot

#### Descendants

* → Catalan: espot

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Verb

spot (third-person singular simple present spots, present participle spotting, simple past and past participle spotted)
* (transitive) To see, find; to pick out, notice, locate, distinguish or identify.
    Try to spot the differences between these two pictures.
** 2020 July 1, Ruth Sutherland, Neil Peters, “Answering the call”, in Rail, page 47:The campaign aimed to give commuters the confidence to trust their own instincts and intervene if they spot someone vulnerable who may be at risk of suicide, and to talk to them to interrupt their suicidal thoughts.
* (US, slang, ditransitive) To loan a small amount of money to someone.
    I’ll spot you ten dollars for lunch.
** 2018, Tayari Jones, An American Marriage, Oneworld Publications, page 185:“It’s close to payday, but you’re welcome to what I have. Maybe Wickliffe can spot me a few.”
* (ambitransitive) To stain; to leave a spot (on).
    Hard water will spot if it is left on a surface.
    a garment spotted with mould
* (transitive) To cover with spots, to speckle.
** 1865, Walt Whitman, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”, in Sequel to Drum-Taps: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d and other poems:[…] Amid lanes and through old woods, where lately the violets peep’d from the ground, spotting the gray debris, […]
* (transitive) To remove, or attempt to remove, a stain.
    I spotted the carpet where the child dropped spaghetti.
* (transitive) To retouch a photograph on film to remove minor flaws.
* (transitive, 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.
** 1989 April 15, Angela Bowen, “Towards a National Lesbian Conference”, in Gay Community News, page 2:There had not been time to build handrails, so lines of women spotted the sides of the ramp.
* (transitive, 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.
* (transitive) To stain; to blemish; to taint; to disgrace; to tarnish, as reputation.
** a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC:Link not me in self same chain / With the wicked-working folk, / Who their spotted thoughts do cloak.
** c. 1608–1610, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher, “Philaster: Or, Love Lies a Bleeding”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1679, →OCLC, Act V, scene ii:If ever I shall close these eyes but once, / May I live spotted for my perjury.
* (transitive) To cut or chip (timber) in preparation for hewing.
* (transitive, chiefly snooker and billiards) To place (an object) at a location indicated by a spot.
    The referee had to spot the pink on the blue spot.
* (intransitive, snooker and billiards) Of a ball, to be capable of being placed on its own spot.
    The black ball won't spot – the green is in the way.
* (aviation, military, transitive) To position (an aircraft) on the deck of an aircraft carrier ready for launch by catapult.
** 1959, Aviation Boatswain's Mate 3 & 2: Navy Training Courses, United States. Bureau of Naval Personnel, page 315:The aircraft is spotted on the catapult, and the console operator turns the crank to FIRST READY, causing the exhaust valve to close.
** 1990, Mike Harvell, Airman, pages 9–37:This spotting order varies from carrier to carrier to suit the flight-deck layout. Certain aircraft must be spotted in a specific location to permit servicing, loading of ammunition, starting, maintenance, and so forth.
* (rail transport, transitive) To position (a locomotive or car) at a predetermined point, e.g., for loading or unloading.

#### Derived terms

* self-spot
* spot the ball
* spot the difference

#### Translations
### Adjective

spot (not comparable)
* (commerce, finance) Available on the spot; for immediate payment or delivery.
    spot wheat
    spot cash
    a spot contract

#### Translations
### Anagrams

* post-, OTPs, SPTO, TSOP, OSTP, Tops, pots, post., Post, TPOs, TOPS, stop, post, -post, tops, POST, POTS, opts, PTOs

## Danish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈsb̥ʌd̥]

### 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)
* 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:...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.

##### Declension
### Etymology 2

From English spot.

#### Noun

spot c or n (singular definite spotten or spottet, plural indefinite spot or spots)
* spotlight
** 1982, Lene H. Bagger, Idioterne, p. 179
    I millisekundet hvor lyset satte spots på hendes uforberedte ansigt, røbede det hendeIn the short moment when the light turned the spotlight on her unprepared face, it revealed her
* spot (short advertisement in radio or TV)
** 2012, Jyllands-Posten:Lego meddeler, at deres juleomsætning overgik alle forventninger på grund af spottene i TV 2LEGO informs that their Christmas sale surpassed all expectations due to the spots on TV 2

##### Declension
### Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

spot
* imperative of spotte

## Dutch
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /spɔt/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɔt

### Etymology 1

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

#### Noun

spot m (uncountable)
* mockery
    Synonyms: spotternij, plagerij, pesterij

##### Derived terms

* zelfspot

##### Related terms

* spotten

##### Descendants

* Negerhollands: spot

### Etymology 2

Borrowed from English spot.

#### Noun

spot m (plural spots, diminutive spotje n)
* spot; a spotlight
* spot; a brief segment on television

##### Derived terms

* reclamespot

### Anagrams

* post, stop

## French
### Etymology

Borrowed from English spot.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /spɔt/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

spot m (plural spots)
* (physics) light spot
* blip (on radar)
* (cinematography, theater) spotlight, spot
* (surfing) area
* (television) spot; a brief segment on television

### Further reading

* “spot”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

### Anagrams

* post, pots, stop, tops

## Indonesian
### Etymology

From English spot.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈspɔt]
* Hyphenation: spot

### Noun

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

### Further reading

* “spot” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

## Italian
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English spot.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈspɔt/
* Rhymes: -ɔt
* Hyphenation: spòt

### Noun

spot m (invariable)
* spot (theatrical light; luminous point; brief radio or TV advertisement)

### Further reading

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

### Anagrams

* post, post-, stop

## Middle Dutch
### Etymology

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

### Noun

spot m or n
* joke, jest
* 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

## Old High German
### Etymology

Compare Dutch spot. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

### Noun

spot m
* mockery

#### Descendants

* Middle High German: spot
** German: Spott

#### References

* Köbler, Gerhard, Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, (6. Auflage) 2014

## Polish
### Etymology

Borrowed from English spot.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈspɔt/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɔt
* Syllabification: spot
* Homophone: spod

### Noun

spot m inan
* (radio) spot (short, usually 30-second, piece of advertising material that is aired either in between or during broadcasts)
* (television) spot (short commercial shown in between or during TV broadcasts)

#### Declension
### Further reading

* spot in Polish dictionaries at PWN

## Scottish Gaelic
### Noun

spot m (genitive singular spoit, plural spotan)
* spot, stain
* spot, place

#### Synonyms

* (place): bad

#### Derived terms

* spot dall

## Slovak
### Etymology

Borrowed from English spot. First attested in the 20th century.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [spɔt]

### Noun

spot m inan (relational adjective spotový)
* (radio) spot (short, piece of advertising material that is aired either in between or during broadcasts)
* (television) spot (short commercial shown in between or during TV broadcasts)

#### Declension
### References

* ↑ Králik, Ľubor (2016) “spot”, in Stručný etymologický slovník slovenčiny [Concise Etymological Dictionary of Slovak] (in Slovak), Bratislava: VEDA; JÚĽŠ SAV, →ISBN, page 550

### Further reading

* “spot”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

## Spanish
### Etymology

Borrowed from English spot.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /esˈpot/ [esˈpot̪]
* Rhymes: -ot
* Syllabification: spot

### Noun

spot m (plural spots)
* advert, ad

### Further reading

* “spot”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

## Tok Pisin
### Etymology

From English sport.

### Noun

spot
* sport

## Volapük
### Noun

spot (nominative plural spots)
* sport

#### Declension

$^1$ status as a case is disputed $^2$ in later, non-classical Volapük only