# pit

Pronunciation: say "PIT" /pɪt/

## Noun

1. A large hole dug or formed in the ground, often deep and steep-sided, such as one dug for building work or an archaeological excavation.
   - Simple: A large, deep hole in the ground, either dug by people or formed naturally.
   - _Workers dug a pit to lay the new foundations._
   - _Several deep pits scarred the abandoned construction site._
3. The hard stone or seed at the center of certain fruits, such as peaches, cherries, and olives.
   - Simple: The hard seed in the middle of some fruits, like a peach or cherry.
   - _Spit your cherry pits into this bowl so nobody steps on them._
   - _A single hard pit sat at the center of the ripe peach._
4. A place beside a racetrack where vehicles stop during a race to have fuel added or repairs made.
   - Simple: The area beside a race track where cars stop for fuel and repairs.
   - _The leader lost valuable time during a slow stop in the pit._
   - _Crews worked frantically in the pit to change all four tires._
5. A mine dug to extract coal or other minerals from underground.
   - Simple: A mine, especially a coal mine dug into the ground.
   - _Generations of the village earned their living down the pit._
   - _The pit flooded after miners struck an underground spring._
6. A small hole or shallow depression in a surface, such as a dent in glass or metal, a natural hollow in the body, or a small scar left by smallpox or acne.
   - Simple: A small hole or dent in a surface, including a small scar left on the skin by a spot or disease.
   - _A flying pebble left a pit in the windshield that later spread into a crack._
   - _Corrosion created shallow pits across the steel plate._
7. A short-haired, muscular dog of the pit bull terrier breed. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A muscular, short-haired dog of the pit bull terrier type.
   - _The neighbor's pit greeted everyone with a wagging tail._
   - _Two pits lounged in the sun on the front porch._
9. The hollow area under the arm where it joins the shoulder; an armpit. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: The hollow under your arm where it meets your body.
   - _She shaved her pits before putting on the sleeveless dress._
   - _He swiped deodorant under each pit before the meeting._
12. A bleak, despairing state of mind that feels difficult to climb out of.
   - Simple: A dark, hopeless mood that feels hard to escape.
   - _Grief pulled her into a pit she couldn't seem to escape._
   - _He spent weeks in a pit of despair after losing his job._
13. The area in front of a stage where concertgoers dance by shoving and slamming into one another; a mosh pit. *(slang)*
   - Simple: The area near a stage where fans push and slam into each other while dancing.
   - _He came away bruised after an hour in the pit at the punk show._
   - _Security kept pulling crowd-surfers out of the pit._
14. A dirty, run-down, or thoroughly unpleasant place to be. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A dirty, messy, or very unpleasant place.
   - _The apartment turned into a pit after the long party._
   - _She refused to eat at that grimy little pit downtown._
15. The grave; the underworld or abode of the dead; hell as a place of punishment.
   - Simple: The grave, the world of the dead, or hell.
   - _He preached that the wicked would be flung into the pit at the end of days._
   - _Ancient poets imagined the dead descending into the pit beneath the earth._
16. Formerly, in a theater, the floor-level seating below the stage and behind the orchestra, or the audience seated there.
   - Simple: In older theaters, the seats on the ground floor near the stage, or the people sitting there.
   - _In Shakespeare's day, the rowdiest playgoers stood in the pit before the stage._
   - _In the old playhouse, people in the pit sat on benches close to the stage and called out to the actors._
18. An enclosure used for staging fights between gamecocks, dogs, or other animals, or for training dogs to kill rats.
   - Simple: A closed space where people make animals fight each other, or where dogs are set to kill rats.
   - _Spectators crowded around the pit as the two gamecocks were released._
   - _The terrier was set loose in the pit to clear out the rats._
19. The section of a casino that holds tables for blackjack, craps, roulette, and other games.
   - Simple: The part of a casino floor where the gaming tables are grouped together.
   - _She worked as a dealer in the pit for ten years._
   - _Security cameras cover every table in the pit._
20. An area on an exchange floor where traders buy and sell by shouting and hand signals; a trading pit.
   - Simple: The area on a trading floor where buyers and sellers shout out deals.
   - _The pit fell silent the moment the closing bell rang._
   - _She started her career in the soybean pit in Chicago._
17. Used only in the plural phrase the pits: something extremely bad or unpleasant, such as a situation, job or experience. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Something that is really bad, as bad as it can be.
   - _The service on that flight was the pits: two hours late and not even a cup of water._
   - _Being stuck at home with the flu for all of spring break was the pits._

## Verb

2. To set people, animals, or things against one another in a fight, contest, or struggle.
   - Simple: To make people or animals fight or compete against each other.
   - _The debate format pits one candidate directly against another._
   - _Old rivalries pit lifelong friends against each other for the championship._
8. To remove the hard stone from a stone fruit such as a cherry, plum, or olive.
   - Simple: To take the hard seed out of a fruit like a cherry or plum.
   - _The recipe asks you to pit a pound of fresh dates first._
   - _He carefully pitted each plum before stewing them._
10. To return to the pit area during a race for refueling, tire changes, or repairs.
   - Simple: To drive back into the repair area during a race for fuel or new tires.
   - _The leader chose to pit under the safety car._
   - _She pitted on lap twelve for fresh tires._
11. To make small holes or hollows in a surface; to mark with little dents.
   - Simple: To make small holes or dents in a surface.
   - _Sand blown by the wind can pit a car's windshield in a single season._
   - _Tiny craters pitted the surface of the moon rock._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A microscopic depression in the surface of a compact disc or similar medium, standing for part of the data recorded on it.
- (noun) A slang term among medical staff for the emergency department of a hospital.
- (noun) The fissile heart of an implosion-type nuclear weapon, together with any tamper or neutron reflector attached directly to it.
- (noun) In a marching band, the section of mallet and large percussion instruments too big to be marched, placed at the front; also the sideline area where they stand.
- (noun) In American football, the center of the line, where the interior linemen line up and battle for control.
- (noun) In tracheary elements, a spot in the cell wall where the secondary wall is absent and only the primary wall remains; pits usually occur in pairs that link two cells.
- (noun) Chiefly in British informal use, a person's bed or bunk; originally military slang.
- (noun) The compartment of an aircraft where luggage is carried; the baggage hold.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 4–6, 9–20** — The word goes back to Latin puteus ("trench, pit, well"), which passed into Proto-West Germanic as *puti, then into Old English as pytt and Middle English as pit. This derivation has some phonetic difficulties, however.
**Meanings 3, 8** — Proto-Germanic *pittan gave Middle Dutch pitte, which became Dutch pit ("kernel, core"), the source of the English word. It is related to pith.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pit (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).