German

Noun

Spalt m ‎(genitive Spalts or Spaltes, plural Spalte)

1. crack
2. split, cleavage, fissure

Declension

English

Noun

spalt ‎(uncountable)

1. Spelter.

Adjective

spalt ‎(comparative more spalt, superlative most spalt)

1. (of wood) Brittle.

   Note: (US) Spalted wood is that which has been cut from a naturally cured, dead, or dying hardwood tree whose wood is normally light in color (such as pecan), and which exhibits patterns of dark stain (crazed) lines and splotches caused by microorganisms and/or fungus. Although slightly more brittle and porous than normal wood from the same species of tree, spalted wood nevertheless can be used to make decorative items and small pieces of furniture.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)

2. Heedless; clumsy; pert; saucy.

Verb

spalt ‎(third-person singular simple present spalts, present participle spalting, simple past and past participle spalted)

1. To break off pieces, especially with an axe etc; to splinter.

Anagrams

• plats, splat

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃpalt/

Verb

spalt

1. Imperative singular of spalten.

Old High German

Etymology

Unknown.

Noun

spalt m

1. crack, fissure

Descendants

• German: Spalt, Spalte
• → Italian: spalto

Swedish

Etymology

Used in Swedish since 1657, same as Danish spalte, from German Spalte, based on the verb spalten ‎(“to split”), related to Swedish spjäll, spilla, spillra

Noun

spalt c

1. a (long and narrow) gap
2. a column (of text)

Declension

Related terms

• spalta
• spaltbredd
• spaltmeter
• spaltutrymme

Synonyms

• glugg
• kolumn

References

• spalt in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)
• spalt in Svenska Akademiens ordbok online.
• spalt in Svenska Akademiens Ordlista över svenska språket (13th ed., online)