pitch

I. noun Etymology: Middle English pich, from Old English pic, from Latin pic-, pix; akin to Greek pissa pitch, Old Church Slavic pĭcĭlŭ Date: before 12th century 1. a black or dark viscous substance obtained as a residue in the distillation of organic materials and especially tars 2. any of various bituminous substances 3. resin obtained from various conifers and often used medicinally 4. any of various artificial mixtures resembling resinous or bituminous pitches II. transitive verb Date: before 12th century to cover, smear, or treat with or as if with pitch III. verb Etymology: Middle English pichen to thrust, drive, fix firmly, probably from Old English *piccan, from Vulgar Latin *piccare — more at pike Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. to erect and fix firmly in place <

pitch a tent

> 2. to throw usually with a particular objective or toward a particular point <

pitch hay onto a wagon

>: as a. to throw (a baseball) to a batter b. to toss (as coins) so as to fall at or near a mark <

pitch pennies

> c. to put aside or discard by or as if by throwing <

pitched the trash into the bin

> <

decided to pitch the whole idea

> 3. a. to present or advertise especially in a high-pressure way ; plug, promote b. to attempt to persuade especially with a sales pitch c. to present (a movie or program idea) for consideration (as by a TV producer) 4. a. (1) to cause to be at a particular level or of a particular quality <

a test pitched at a 5th-grade reading level

> (2) to set in a particular musical key b. to cause to be set at a particular angle ; slope 5. to utter glibly and insincerely 6. a. to use as a starting pitcher b. to play as pitcher 7. to hit (a golf ball) in a high arc with backspin so that it rolls very little after striking the green 8. throw 14 <

pitch a fit

> intransitive verb 1. a. to fall precipitately or headlong b. (1) of a ship to have the bow alternately plunge precipitately and rise abruptly (2) of an aircraft, missile, or spacecraft to turn about a lateral axis so that the forward end rises or falls in relation to the after end c. buck 1 2. encamp 3. to hit upon or happen upon something <

pitch upon the perfect gift

> 4. to incline downward ; slope 5. a. to throw a ball to a batter b. to play ball as a pitcher c. to pitch a golf ball 6. to make a sales pitch Synonyms: see throw IV. noun Date: 1542 1. a. slope; also degree of slope ; rake b. the distance between any of various things: as (1) distance between one point on a gear tooth and the corresponding point on the next tooth (2) distance from any point on the thread of a screw to the corresponding point on an adjacent thread measured parallel to the axis c. the theoretical distance a propeller would advance longitudinally in one revolution d. the number of teeth or of threads per inch e. a unit of width of type based on the number of times a letter can be set in a linear inch 2. the action or a manner of pitching; especially an up-and-down movement — compare yaw 3. archaic top, zenith 4. a. the relative level, intensity, or extent of some quality or state <

tensions rose to a feverish pitch

> b. (1) the property of a sound and especially a musical tone that is determined by the frequency of the waves producing it ; highness or lowness of sound (2) a standard frequency for tuning instruments c. (1) the difference in the relative vibration frequency of the human voice that contributes to the total meaning of speech (2) a definite relative pitch that is a significant phenomenon in speech 5. a. a steep place ; declivity b. the portion of a route (as in mountain climbing or caving) between belay points 6. chiefly British a. an outdoor site (as for camping or doing business) b. playing field 1 7. an all-fours game in which the first card led is a trump 8. a. an often high-pressure sales presentation b. advertisement c. recommendation, plug <

made a pitch for tax cuts

> 9. a. the delivery of a baseball by a pitcher to a batter b. a baseball so thrown c. pitchout 2 • pitched adjective