Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
SPOT
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English; akin to Middle Dutch spotte stain, speck, Old Norse spotti small piece
Date: 13th century
a taint on character or reputation ; fault ,
2. a small area visibly different (as in color, finish, or material) from the surrounding area, b. an area marred or marked (as by dirt), a circumscribed surface lesion of disease (as measles) or decay , a conventionalized design used on playing cards to distinguish the suits and indicate values, an object having a specified number of spots or a specified numeral on its surface, a small quantity or amount ; bit ,
5. a particular place, area, or part, a small extent of space, a small croaker ( Leiostomus xanthurus ) of the Atlantic coast with a black spot behind the opercula,
7. a particular position (as in an organization or a hierarchy), a place or appearance on an entertainment program, spotlight , a position usually of difficulty or embarrassment, a brief an noun cement or advertisement broadcast between scheduled radio or television programs, a brief segment or report on a broadcast especially of news,
II. verb (spotted; spotting)
Date: 14th century
transitive verb to stain the character or reputation of ; disgrace , to mark in or with a spot ; stain , to locate or identify by a spot,
4. to single out ; identify , detect , notice , c. to locate accurately , to cause to strike accurately ,
5. to lie at intervals in or over ; stud , to place at intervals or in a desired spot , to fix in or as if in the beam of a spotlight, to schedule in a particular spot or at a particular time, to remove a spot from, to allow as a handicap, intransitive verb to become stained or discolored in spots, to cause a spot, to act as a spotter, to experience abnormal and sporadic bleeding in small amounts from the uterus, spottable adjective
III. adjective
Date: 1881
1. being, originating, or done on the spot or in or for a particular spot , available for immediate delivery after sale , c. paid out upon delivery , involving immediate cash payment , d. broadcast between scheduled programs , originating in a local station for a national advertiser, performing occasionally when needed , made at random or restricted to a few places or instances