Squirted

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Forced liquid or substance out in a narrow jet or stream ; sent forth suddenly in small amounts or bursts
2. Expelled a fluid quickly and in a thin line ; emitted something rapidly in small portions
3. Ejected a liquid in a sharp, narrow stream ; released a small, quick amount of something

Etymology: "Squirt" first appears in English in the 1500s, and its origins are murky. Most dictionaries treat it as imitative, a word built to sound like the thing it describes. The "sq-" opening pairs with a cluster of English words for sudden, forceful, liquid movement, including "squash," "squeeze," and "squib," and the "-irt" ending often marks a quick, sharp action. Its earliest recorded uses are in the sense of a spurt of liquid, and the sense of a small, quick release came later. The past tense "squirted" simply adds "-ed" to "squirt," so it carries the same history. The form is regular, following the pattern of most English verbs that formed their past tense with "-ed" after the word had settled into the language.

Synonyms: spurted, ejected, forced out, sprayed, oozed

Antonyms: absorbed, soaked, contained