# splat

Pronunciation: say "SPLAT" /splæt/

## Noun

1. The sharp, atonal sound made when a liquid or soft solid hits a solid surface.
   - Simple: The wet, flat sound something soft or liquid makes when it hits a hard surface.
   - _The tomato hit the wall with a satisfying splat._
   - _Rain fell in heavy drops, each landing with an audible splat on the tin roof._
2. The irregular, flattened shape formed when a thick liquid or soft solid hits a solid surface.
   - Simple: The messy, spread-out mark left when something soft or wet hits a surface.
   - _The dropped pancake batter left a wide splat on the counter._
   - _Investigators photographed every splat of paint the vandals had thrown at the door._
5. The asterisk character, *; a slang name used in computing, especially when reading commands aloud. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A nickname computer users give to the star symbol *.
   - _Add a splat after the directory name to include every file inside it._
   - _"Run ls space splat," the instructor said, and the whole directory listing appeared._
6. The hash symbol, #; a slang name used in some computing circles. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A nickname some computer users give to the # symbol.
   - _Comments in this config file begin with a splat._
   - _He told me to press splat twice after entering the extension._
7. The Command key on an Apple Macintosh keyboard; a slang name among Mac users. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A nickname for the Command key on Apple computers.
   - _Hold splat and tab to switch between open applications._
   - _The screenshot shortcut is splat, shift, and 4 pressed together._
8. The narrow vertical wooden piece forming the center of a chair back.
   - Simple: The flat piece of wood that runs up the middle of a chair's back.
   - _The chair's splat had been carved into an elegant vase shape._
   - _Chippendale chairs are famous for their elaborately pierced splats._
9. A children's circle game of pointing and shouting "Splat!"; the slowest player to duck or respond is eliminated, and the final two settle the game with a quick-draw standoff.
   - Simple: A circle game where players point and shout "Splat!" and the slowest one is out.
   - _A round of splat got the whole class laughing within minutes._
   - _She won splat three times in a row at the birthday party._
10. In playboating, a move in which the paddler stalls the kayak vertically against a rock or other solid object in the current.
   - Simple: A kayak trick where you hold the boat straight up against a rock in the water.
   - _His splat against the boulder drew cheers from the riverbank._
   - _The eddy below the bridge pillar is perfect for practicing splats._
11. An operator, often written as * or ..., that marks a parameter as accepting a variable-length list of arguments.
   - Simple: In programming, a star or other mark that lets a function take any number of inputs.
   - _Using a splat in the method signature lets callers pass as many arguments as they like._
   - _The splat gathers any remaining arguments into a single array._
12. An operator that takes a single scalar value and produces a vector whose elements are all initialized to that value.
   - Simple: A tool in programming that fills a whole list with copies of one value.
   - _A splat applied to 1.0 yields a vector of ones of the required length._
   - _The compiler replaced the loop with a single splat instruction._

## Verb

3. To strike a flat surface and deform into an irregular, flattened shape on impact.
   - Simple: To hit a surface and flatten out into a messy shape.
   - _Pumpkins splat dramatically when dropped from the roof of the barn._
   - _The jellyfish splatted onto the deck of the boat._
4. To splatter; to throw or scatter something wet or soft so that it strikes a surface in messy drops.
   - Simple: To throw or drop something wet or soft so it lands and spreads in a messy way.
   - _Trucks splat mud onto pedestrians when they speed through puddles._
   - _The chef splatted sauce across the plate in a deliberate zigzag._
13. To combine textures in computer graphics by applying an alpha map so that lower layers show through where the map is partially or fully transparent.
   - Simple: To blend picture layers in a computer game or image so lower layers show through in places.
   - _Level designers splat multiple ground materials to create seamless transitions between biomes._
   - _The engine splats a dirt texture onto the terrain wherever the path crosses the grass._

## Origin

**Meaning 8** — From an earlier "splat" meaning "to spread flat," which comes from Middle English "splatten" or "splaten" ("to stretch out, extend," and also "to split"). Compare dialectal English "splat" ("flat").
**Meanings 1–7, 9–13** — Onomatopoeic: the word imitates the sound it describes.

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