turnspit

9.9

A machine that turns meat on a spit over a fire

noun
/ˈtɜrnˌspɪt/

Archaic

: girospiedo

In medieval times, a turnspit was used to rotate the meat evenly over the fire.

Examples

They displayed a restored turnspit at the museum to demonstrate historical cooking methods.
The old kitchen still contains a turnspit next to the fireplace.
The chef used a turnspit to cook the meat evenly.
In the old kitchen, a turnspit was essential for roasting.
In medieval times, a turnspit was used to rotate the meat evenly over the fire.
They displayed a restored turnspit at the museum to demonstrate historical cooking methods.
The old kitchen still contains a turnspit next to the fireplace.

Synonyms

rotisserie

vsturnspit

8 4.8

An oven with a spit that turns to cook meat

is the separate mechanical device that turns the spit during roasting

Surface Forms

turnspit singular

turnspits plural

Morphology

turnspit = turn + spit (transparent) = turn + spit

Clear compound of 'turn' + 'spit' meaning a device that turns a roasting spit; learners can derive the meaning from its parts.

Etymology

Turnspit comes from the two words turn and spit, where turn means 'to turn' and spit was the long metal rod used to roast meat. So a turnspit is literally something that 'turns the spit', a device and, in old kitchens, even a small dog that made the meat go round over the fire to cook evenly.