Sputabat

Sputabat is a Latin verb form, not a standalone word, used in classical texts to express past ongoing action. It is the imperfect active indicative, third person singular, of the verb sputare, meaning to spit. In a sentence, sputabat would translate to “he was spitting” or “he used to spit,” depending on the narrative context.

Morphology and tense. Sputare belongs to the first conjugation, and the imperfect tense in the third person singular is formed with the stem sputab- plus the ending -at, yielding sputabat. The related forms include sputabam, sputabas, sputabatis, sputabant, which together describe actions that were in progress in the past. As with other imperfect forms, sputabat emphasizes duration or repetition rather than a single completed act.

Usage and nuance. In Latin prose and poetry, sputabat can describe literal spitting or be used metaphorically to indicate spitting out words, insults, or sounds as a sustained action. The exact nuance depends on surrounding words and the broader narrative mood. Because it is a tense marker rather than a lexical item on its own, sputabat appears within clauses that identify the subject performing the action.

Etymology. The verb derives from Latin sputare (to spit) and shares cognates in Romance languages, such as Italian sputare and related forms in other descendant languages. The root sput- reflects the action of expelling saliva or other matter.

See also. Latin grammar, sputare, imperfect indicative, third person singular.

Note: Sputabat is a grammatical form, not a separate entry in most dictionaries, but it is commonly cited when illustrating Latin tense and aspect.