the area that is occupied by the orchestra in a theatre, located in front of the stage
6.
an enclosure for fighting animals or birds, esp gamecocks
7. anatomy
a.
a small natural depression on the surface of a body, organ, structure, or part; fossa
b.
the floor of any natural bodily cavity
the pit of the stomach
8. pathology
a small indented scar at the site of a former pustule; pockmark
9.
any of various small areas in a plant cell wall that remain unthickened when the rest of the cell becomes lignified, esp the vascular tissue
10.
a working area at the side of a motor-racing track for servicing or refuelling vehicles
11.
a section on the floor of a commodity exchange devoted to a special line of trading
12.
a rowdy card game in which players bid for commodities
13.
an area of sand or other soft material at the end of a long-jump approach, behind the bar of a pole vault, etc, on which an athlete may land safely
14.
the ground floor of the auditorium of a theatre
15. British a slang word for bed (sense 1), bedroom (sense 1)
16. another word for pitfall (sense 2)
verbWord forms: pits, pitting or pitted
17. (transitive; often foll byagainst)
to match in opposition, esp as antagonists
18.
to mark or become marked with pits
19. (transitive)
to place or bury in a pit
Word origin
Old English pytt, from Latin puteus; compare Old French pet, Old High German pfuzzi
pitting in American English1
(ˈpɪtɪŋ)
noun
1.
the act or operation of digging a pit or pits
2.
the act or operation of placing in a pit or pits
3.
arranging or staging cockfights
Word origin
[1655–65; pit1 + -ing1]This word is first recorded in the period 1655–65. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: flip-flop, intensity, loaded, minimum, outline-ing is a suffix of nouns formed from verbs, expressing the action of the verb or itsresult, product, material, etc. (the art of building; a new building; cotton wadding). It is also used to form nouns from words other than verbs (offing; shirting). Verbal nouns ending in -ing are often used attributively (the printing trade) and in forming compounds (drinking song). In some compounds (sewing machine), the first element might reasonably be regarded as the participial adjective, -ing, the compound thus meaning “a machine that sews,” but it is commonly taken as a verbalnoun, the compound being explained as “a machine for sewing”
pitting in American English2
(ˈpɪtɪŋ)
noun
the act of removing a pit or pits
Word origin
[pit2 + -ing1]-ing is a suffix of nouns formed from verbs, expressing the action of the verb or itsresult, product, material, etc. (the art of building; a new building; cotton wadding). It is also used to form nouns from words other than verbs (offing; shirting). Verbal nouns ending in -ing are often used attributively (the printing trade) and in forming compounds (drinking song). In some compounds (sewing machine), the first element might reasonably be regarded as the participial adjective, -ing, the compound thus meaning “a machine that sews,” but it is commonly taken as a verbalnoun, the compound being explained as “a machine for sewing”
Examples of 'pitting' in a sentence
pitting
Have the constant feeling with Hugh that I am pitting my wits against him to keep him alive.
Bénédicte Newland and Pascale Smets AND GOD CREATED THE AU PAIR (2005)
For many domestic workers, the challenge is pitting themselves against their employers' reputations.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Pitting his skills against his more established rivals, he rose to fame.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
I worry about this pitting of the young against the old.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
His 'good rugger scrum' was a system of violence pitting prisoner against prisoner.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The point of pitting is to be out quicker than anyone else.
The Sun (2008)
They embarked on a crude race, pitting one jurisdiction against the other.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It is not a war pitting one race, religion or political ideology against another.
Globe and Mail (2003)
Couling is pitting two young officers against one another.
Times, Sunday Times (2018)
Britain's pre-eminent pacifist was pitting himself against its leading militarist.
The Times Literary Supplement (2017)
That crisis is the prospect of parliament pitting itself against the people.