pitch¹ / pich/ • n. 1. the quality of a sound governed by the rate of vibrations producing it; the degree of highness or lowness of a tone: a car engine seems to change pitch downward as the vehicle passes you. ∎  a standard degree of highness or lowness used in performance: the guitars were strung and tuned to pitch. See also concert pitch.2. the steepness of a slope, esp. of a roof. ∎ Climbing a section of a climb, esp. a steep one. ∎  the height to which a hawk soars before swooping on its prey.3. [in sing.] the level of intensity of something: he brought the machine to a high pitch of development. ∎  (a pitch of) a very high degree of: rousing herself to a pitch of indignation.4. Baseball a legal delivery of the ball by the pitcher. ∎  (also pitch shot) Golf a high approach shot onto the green. ∎  Football short for pitchout sense 2.5. Brit. a playing field. ∎  Cricket the strip of ground between the two sets of stumps.6. a form of words used when trying to persuade someone to buy or accept something: a good sales pitch.7. a swaying or oscillation of a ship, aircraft, or vehicle around a horizontal axis perpendicular to the direction of motion. ∎  the degree of slope or angle, as of a roof.8. technical the distance between successive corresponding points or lines, e.g., between the teeth of a cogwheel. ∎  a measure of the angle of the blades of a screw propeller, equal to the distance forward a blade would move in one revolution if it exerted no thrust on the medium. ∎  the density of typed or printed characters on a line, typically expressed as numbers of characters per inch.• v. 1. [tr.] Baseball throw (the ball) for the batter to try to hit. ∎ Baseball assign (a player) to pitch. ∎  [intr.] be a pitcher: she pitched in a minor-league game | [tr.] he pitched the entire game. ∎  Golf hit (the ball) onto the green with a pitch shot. ∎  [intr.] Golf (of the ball) strike the ground in a particular spot.2. [tr.] throw or fling roughly or casually: he crumpled the page up and pitched it into the fireplace. ∎  [intr.] fall heavily, esp. headlong: she pitched forward into blackness.3. [tr.] set (one's voice or a piece of music) at a particular pitch: you've pitched the melody very high. ∎  express at a particular level of difficulty: he should pitch his talk at a suitable level for the age group. ∎  aim (a product) at a particular section of the market: the machine is being pitched at banks.4. [intr.] make a bid to obtain a contract or other business: they were pitching for an account.5. [tr.] set up and fix in a definite position: we pitched camp for the night.6. [intr.] (of a moving ship, aircraft, or vehicle) rock or oscillate around a lateral axis, so that the front and back move up and down: the little steamer pressed on, pitching gently. ∎  (of a vehicle) move with a vigorous jogging motion: a jeep came pitching down the hill.7. [tr.] cause (a roof) to slope downward from the ridge: the roof was pitched at an angle of 75 degrees | [as adj.] (pitched) a pitched roof. ∎  [intr.] slope downward: the ravine pitches down to the creek. PHRASES: make a pitch make a bid to obtain a contract or other business.PHRASAL VERBS: pitch in inf. vigorously join in to help with a task or activity. ∎  join in a fight or dispute.pitch into inf. vigorously tackle or begin to deal with. ∎  forcefully assault.pitch out throw a pitchout.pitch² • n. a sticky resinous black or dark brown substance that is semiliquid when hot, hard when cold. It is obtained by distilling tar or petroleum and is used for waterproofing. ∎  any of various similar substances, such as asphalt or bitumen. ∎  a sticky resinous sap from a conifer.• v. [tr.] cover, coat, or smear with pitch.

pitch.
1. Amount of slope given to any part of a roof.

2. Tenacious black resinous substance, hard when cold, becoming a thick viscid semiliquid when heated: it is obtained as a residue from the boiling or distillation of tar. It is used in its melted form to protect external timbers, e.g. clap-boarding or weather-boarding, and, if mixed with ground chalk, sand, and tar, for surfacing roads, etc.

pitch2 †thrust or fix in; fix and erect XIII; set in order or in a fixed place; cast, throw XIV. The ME. conjugation pic(c)he, pihte, (i)piht suggests the existence of an OE. *piċċ(e)an, rel. to picung ‘stigmata’, of unkn. orig.
Hence pitch sb. act of pitching; inclination, slope XV; highest point; position taken up XVI.

pitch a sticky resinous black or dark brown substance that is semi-liquid when hot and hardens when cold, taken as the type of blackness or darkness (as in pitch-dark, pitch-black).

See also he that touches pitch shall be defiled.

pitch (rake) The angle made by a lineation with the strike of the surface on which it occurs.