7  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Cyclone  cellar  \Cyclone  cellar\  or  pit  \pit\  . 
  A  cellar  or  excavation  used  for  refuge  from  a  cyclone,  or 
  tornado.  [Middle  U.  S.] 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Pit  \Pit\,  n.  [OE.  pit,  put  AS  pytt  a  pit,  hole,  L.  puteus  a 
  well  pit.] 
  1.  A  large  cavity  or  hole  in  the  ground,  either  natural  or 
  artificial;  a  cavity  in  the  surface  of  a  body;  an 
  indentation;  specifically: 
  a  The  shaft  of  a  coal  mine;  a  coal  pit. 
  b  A  large  hole  in  the  ground  from  which  material  is  dug 
  or  quarried;  as  a  stone  pit;  a  gravel  pit;  or  in 
  which  material  is  made  by  burning;  as  a  lime  pit;  a 
  charcoal  pit. 
  c  A  vat  sunk  in  the  ground;  as  a  tan  pit. 
 
  Tumble  me  into  some  loathsome  pit.  --Shak. 
 
  2.  Any  abyss;  especially,  the  grave,  or  hades. 
 
  Back  to  the  infernal  pit  I  drag  thee  chained. 
  --Milton. 
 
  He  keepth  back  his  soul  from  the  pit.  --Job  xxxiii 
  18. 
 
  3.  A  covered  deep  hole  for  entrapping  wild  beasts;  a  pitfall; 
  hence  a  trap;  a  snare.  Also  used  figuratively. 
 
  The  anointed  of  the  Lord  was  taken  in  their  pits. 
  --Lam.  iv  20. 
 
  4.  A  depression  or  hollow  in  the  surface  of  the  human  body; 
  as: 
  a  The  hollow  place  under  the  shoulder  or  arm;  the 
  axilla,  or  armpit. 
  b  See  {Pit  of  the  stomach}  (below). 
  c  The  indentation  or  mark  left  by  a  pustule,  as  in 
  smallpox. 
 
  5.  Formerly,  that  part  of  a  theater,  on  the  floor  of  the 
  house,  below  the  level  of  the  stage  and  behind  the 
  orchestra;  now  in  England,  commonly  the  part  behind  the 
  stalls;  in  the  United  States,  the  parquet;  also  the 
  occupants  of  such  a  part  of  a  theater. 
 
  6.  An  inclosed  area  into  which  gamecocks,  dogs,  and  other 
  animals  are  brought  to  fight,  or  where  dogs  are  trained  to 
  kill  rats.  ``As  fiercely  as  two  gamecocks  in  the  pit.'' 
  --Locke. 
 
  7.  [Cf.  D.  pit,  akin  to  E.  pith.]  (Bot.) 
  a  The  endocarp  of  a  drupe,  and  its  contained  seed  or 
  seeds;  a  stone;  as  a  peach  pit;  a  cherry  pit,  etc 
  b  A  depression  or  thin  spot  in  the  wall  of  a  duct. 
 
  {Cold  pit}  (Hort.),  an  excavation  in  the  earth,  lined  with 
  masonry  or  boards,  and  covered  with  glass,  but  not 
  artificially  heated,  --  used  in  winter  for  the  storing  and 
  protection  of  half-hardly  plants,  and  sometimes  in  the 
  spring  as  a  forcing  bed. 
 
  {Pit  coal},  coal  dug  from  the  earth;  mineral  coal. 
 
  {Pit  frame},  the  framework  over  the  shaft  of  a  coal  mine. 
 
  {Pit  head},  the  surface  of  the  ground  at  the  mouth  of  a  pit 
  or  mine. 
 
  {Pit  kiln},  an  oven  for  coking  coal. 
 
  {Pit  martin}  (Zo["o]l.),  the  bank  swallow.  [Prov.  Eng.] 
 
  {Pit  of  the  stomach}  (Anat.),  the  depression  on  the  middle 
  line  of  the  epigastric  region  of  the  abdomen  at  the  lower 
  end  of  the  sternum;  the  infrasternal  depression. 
 
  {Pit  saw}  (Mech.),  a  saw  worked  by  two  men,  one  of  whom 
  stands  on  the  log  and  the  other  beneath  it  The  place  of 
  the  latter  is  often  in  a  pit,  whence  the  name 
 
  {Pit  viper}  (Zo["o]l.),  any  viperine  snake  having  a  deep  pit 
  on  each  side  of  the  snout.  The  rattlesnake  and  copperhead 
  are  examples. 
 
  {Working  pit}  (Min.),  a  shaft  in  which  the  ore  is  hoisted  and 
  the  workmen  carried;  --  in  distinction  from  a  shaft  used 
  for  the  pumps. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Pit  \Pit\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Pitted};  p.  pr  &  vb  n. 
  {Pitting}.] 
  1.  To  place  or  put  into  a  pit  or  hole. 
 
  They  lived  like  beasts,  and  were  pitted  like  beasts, 
  tumbled  into  the  grave.  --T.  Grander. 
 
  2.  To  mark  with  little  hollows,  as  by  various  pustules;  as  a 
  face  pitted  by  smallpox. 
 
  3.  To  introduce  as  an  antagonist;  to  set  forward  for  or  in  a 
  contest;  as  to  pit  one  dog  against  another. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  pit 
  n  1:  a  sizeable  hole  (usually  in  the  ground);  "they  dug  a  pit  to 
  bury  the  body"  [syn:  {cavity}] 
  2:  a  concavity  in  a  surface  (especially  an  anatomical 
  depression)  [syn:  {fossa}] 
  3:  the  single  central  seed  in  some  fruits  such  as  peaches  and 
  cherries  enclosed  in  a  hard  woody  shell  [syn:  {stone}] 
  4:  a  trap  in  the  form  of  a  concealed  hole  [syn:  {pitfall}] 
  5:  an  open-surface  excavation  for  extracting  stone  or  slate:  "a 
  British  term  for  `quarry'  is  `stone  pit'"  [syn:  {quarry}, 
  {stone  pit}] 
  6:  lowered  area  in  front  of  a  stage  where  an  orchestra 
  accompanies  the  performers  [syn:  {orchestra  pit}] 
  7:  a  coal  mine  and  all  the  buildings  and  equipment  connected 
  with  it  [syn:  {colliery}] 
  v  1:  set  into  opposition  or  rivalry  [syn:  {oppose},  {match}] 
  2:  mark  with  a  scar;  "The  skin  disease  scarred  his  face 
  permanently"  [syn:  {scar},  {mark},  {pock}] 
  3:  remove  the  pits  from  as  of  certain  fruit  such  as  peaches 
  [syn:  {stone}] 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  PIT 
 
  Language  for  IBM  650.  (See  {IT}). 
 
 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Pit 
  a  hole  in  the  ground  (Ex.  21:33,  34),  a  cistern  for  water  (Gen. 
  37:24;  Jer.  14:3),  a  vault  (41:9),  a  grave  (Ps.  30:3).  It  is 
  used  as  a  figure  for  mischief  (Ps.  9:15),  and  is  the  name  given 
  to  the  unseen  place  of  woe  (Rev.  20:1,  3).  The  slime-pits  in  the 
  vale  of  Siddim  were  wells  which  yielded  asphalt  (Gen.  14:10). 
 
 
  From  V.E.R.A.  --  Virtual  Entity  of  Relevant  Acronyms  13  March  2001  [vera]: 
 
  PIT 
  Programmable  Interval  Timer 
 
 

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