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pitch

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Pitch is a black sticky substance that is left over after the distillation process of many substances.

(noun)

An example of pitch is the tar that is used in roofing.

Pitch is defined as to set something up.

(verb)

An example of pitch is putting up a tent.

Pitch means to throw something.

(verb)

An example of pitch is a baseball being tossed at a bat.

See pitch in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a black, sticky substance formed in the distillation of coal tar, wood tar, petroleum, etc. and used for waterproofing, roofing, pavements, etc.
any of certain bitumens, as asphalt, asphaltite, etc.
a resin found in certain evergreen trees
any of various synthetic substances having pitchlike properties

Origin: ME pich < OE pic < L pix (gen. picis) < IE base *pi-, to be fat > fat

transitive verb

to cover or smear with or as with pitch

transitive verb

to set up; erect: pitch a tent
to throw; cast, fling, or toss
1. to toss (coins, quoits, etc.) as at a mark in a contest
2. to discard by throwing; throw away
to set in order for battle: obsolete except in pitched battle
to fix or set at a particular point, level, degree, etc.
Informal to try to sell using persuasive talk or advertising
☆ Baseball
1. to throw (the ball) to the batter
2. to assign (a player) to pitch
3. to serve as pitcher for (a game, inning, etc.)
Golf to loft (a ball), esp. in making an approach
Music to determine or set the key of (a tune, an instrument, or the voice)

Origin: ME picchen, ? form of picken, to pick

intransitive verb

to encamp
to take up one's position; settle
to hurl or toss anything, as hay, a baseball, etc.
to fall or plunge headlong
to incline downward; dip
to plunge or toss with the bow and stern rising and falling abruptly: said of a ship
to move in a like manner in the air: said of an aircraft
to plunge forward; lurch, as when off balance
to act as pitcher in a ballgame
to loft a golf ball, as in making an approach

noun

act or manner of pitching
a throw; fling; toss; specif., a throw by a pitcher to a batter
1. the rising and falling of the bow and stern of a ship in a rough sea
2. the movement up or down of the nose and tail of an airplane
anything pitched
the amount pitched
a point or degree: emotion was at a high pitch
the degree of slope or inclination
☆ a card game of the all-fours family in which the suit of the first card led becomes trump
☆ Informal a line of talk, such as a salesman uses to persuade customers
Brit.
1. a playing field: a cricket pitch
2. a place, often assigned, for pitching a tent or parking a trailer, etc.
3. a place where a street vendor, street performer, racecourse bookmaker, etc. sets up his stand
Aeron.
1. the adjustable blade angle of the propeller or rotor blade
2. the distance advanced by a propeller in one revolution
Archit. the slope of the sides of a roof, expressed by the ratio of its height to its span
Geol., Mining the dip of a stratum or vein
Golf a short, lofted shot, usually to the green
Machinery
1. the distance between corresponding points on two adjacent gear teeth
2. the distance between corresponding points on two adjacent threads of a screw, measured along the axis
1. Music, Acoustics that element of a tone or sound determined by the frequency of vibration of the sound waves reaching the ear: the greater the frequency, the higher the pitch
2. Music a tone used as a standard of pitch for tuning instruments

See pitch in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

Any of various thick, dark, sticky substances obtained from the distillation residue of coal tar, wood tar, or petroleum and used for waterproofing, roofing, caulking, and paving.
Any of various natural bitumens, such as mineral pitch or asphalt.
A resin derived from the sap of various coniferous trees, as the pines.

transitive verb pitched, pitch·ing, pitch·es

To smear or cover with or as if with pitch.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English pich

Origin: , from Old English pic

Origin: and from Anglo-Norman piche

Origin: , both from Latin pix, pic-

verb pitched, pitch·ing, pitch·es

verb, transitive

a. To throw, usually with careful aim. See Synonyms at throw.
b. To discard by throwing: pitched the can out the window.
Baseball
a. To throw (the ball) from the mound to the batter.
b. To play (a game) as pitcher.
c. To assign as pitcher.
To erect or establish; set up: pitched a tent; pitch camp.
To set firmly; implant; embed: pitched stakes in the ground.
To set at a specified downward slant: pitched the roof at a steep angle.
a. To set at a particular level, degree, or quality: pitched her expectations too high.
b. Music To set the pitch or key of.
c. To adapt so as to be applicable; direct: pitched his speech to the teenagers in the audience.
Informal To attempt to promote or sell, often in a high-pressure manner: “showed up on local TV to pitch their views” (Business Week).
Sports To hit (a golf ball) in a high arc with backspin so that it does not roll very far after striking the ground.
Games
a. To lead (a card), thus establishing the trump suit.
b. To discard (a card other than a trump and different in suit from the card led).

verb, intransitive

To throw or toss something, such as a ball, horseshoe, or bale.
Baseball To play in the position of pitcher.
To plunge headlong: He pitched over the railing.
a. To stumble around; lurch.
b. To buck, as a horse.
a. Nautical To dip bow and stern alternately.
b. To oscillate about a lateral axis so that the nose lifts or descends in relation to the tail. Used of an aircraft.
c. To oscillate about a lateral axis that is both perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and horizontal to the earth. Used of a missile or spacecraft.
To slope downward: The hill pitches steeply.
To set up living quarters; encamp; settle.
Sports To hit a golf ball in a high arc with backspin so that it does not roll very far after striking the ground.

noun

The act or an instance of pitching.
Baseball
a. A throw of the ball by the pitcher to the batter.
b. A ball so thrown.
Chiefly British A playing field. Also called wicket.
a. Nautical The alternate dip and rise of the bow and stern of a ship.
b. The alternate lift and descent of the nose and tail of an airplane.
a. A steep downward slope.
b. The degree of such a slope.
Architecture
a. The angle of a roof.
b. The highest point of a structure: the pitch of an arch.
A level or degree, as of intensity: worked at a feverish pitch to meet the deadline.
a. Acoustics The distinctive quality of a sound, dependent primarily on the frequency of the sound waves produced by its source.
b. Music The relative position of a tone within a range of musical sounds, as determined by this quality.
c. Music Any of various standards for this quality associating each tone with a particular frequency.
a. The distance traveled by a machine screw in a single revolution.
b. The distance between two corresponding points on adjacent screw threads or gear teeth.
c. The distance between two corresponding points on a helix.
The distance that a propeller would travel in an ideal medium during one complete revolution, measured parallel to the shaft of the propeller.
Informal
a. A line of talk designed to persuade: “[his] pious pitch for . . . austerity” (Boston Globe).
b. An advertisement.
Chiefly British The stand of a vendor or hawker.
Games See seven-up.
Printing The density of characters in a printed line, usually expressed as characters per inch.

Phrasal Verbs: pitch in Informal To set to work vigorously. To join forces with others; help or cooperate. pitch into Informal To attack verbally or physically; assault.pitch on/upon Informal To succeed in choosing or achieving, usually quickly: pitched on the ideal solution.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English pichen

Origin: , probably from Old English *piccean

Origin: , causative of *pīcian, to prick

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