Spirted

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Shot out suddenly in a forceful jet or stream, as liquid does when it bursts from a narrow opening
2. Gushed forth abruptly in a quick, powerful flow from somewhere confined
3. Erupted outward in a brief, forceful squirt, such as blood or water escaping under pressure

Etymology: "Spirted" is the past tense and past participle of "spirt," a variant spelling of "spurt." The verb "spirt" is the form the source records, and "spirted" follows it as its inflected form, so the history of the verb is the history that matters here. The verb "spirt" is a variant of "spurt," and both spellings have been used for the same action: a sudden, forceful gush of liquid or a brief burst of effort. Because the two spellings sit side by side, "spirted" is easy to mistake for a separate word, but it is simply the same verb in its past form.

Synonyms: spurted, squirted