Squirts

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To propel a liquid or substance rapidly in a directed manner
2. to emit something under pressure in a sudden fashion
3. To eject liquid rapidly with pressure in a small stream ; to discharge a brief quantity of liquid or gas unexpectedly

Etymology: "Squirts" is the third-person singular present of "squirt", a verb meaning to shoot out a thin stream of liquid suddenly under pressure. The verb's origins are obscure: it came into Middle English as "squirten" or "squyrten", and its exact source is uncertain. Most scholars think it is onomatopoeic, a sound-imitating word for the quick, spluttering spurt of water. That guess gains support from relatives elsewhere in Europe. Low German has "swirtjen" with the same sense, and Scandinavian languages have a family of water-related sound words, including Swedish "skvala" and "skvätta", Icelandic "skvetta", and Norwegian "skvette", all of which hint at a shared imitative root. The word is also related to "swirl", which suggests a shared sense of rapid, twisting movement.

Synonyms: spouts, jets, sprays