noun
spitfire
noun
1
Someone with a fiery, quick temper, especially a strong-willed woman or girl.
"His grandmother was a spitfire well into her nineties."
2
Capitalized: the iconic British single-seat fighter plane flown during World War II.
"The museum has a restored Spitfire from the Battle of Britain."
How to Use Spitfire
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither a fiery-tempered person, or (capitalized) the famous British WWII fighter aircraft.
Word Forms
spitfires plural, Spitfires plural
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Etymology
A compound of spit and fire, originally used for a fierce, hot-tempered person or thing before being adopted as the name of the WWII fighter plane.