1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Pitch

PITCH. (1) (O. Eng. pic, an adaptation of Lat. pix, picis, Gr. πίσσα, πίττα, allied with Gr. πίτυς, pine-tree, Lat. pinus), the name of various substances of dark colour and of extremely viscid and tenacious consistency when subjected to heat. Strictly the term is applied to the resinous substance obtained as a solid residuum by the distillation of wood-tar (see Tar), or the non-resinous substance similarly produced from Coal-tar (q.v.). The name is also applied to the natural mineral substances, i.e. asphalt or bitumen (qq.v.). (2) A noun of various meanings which are somewhat difficult to connect with the verb from which they apparently must be derived. “ To pitch ” means primarily to thrust in or fix a stake or other pointed object into the ground, hence to place in a fixed position, set in order, cast or throw, hence to incline or slope. The etymology is obscure, but it appears in Northern dialects as “pick,” of which it may be a variant; there is some difficulty in connecting this form with “pick,” variant of “pike” (q. v.).