bar spit A deposition landform found off coasts. A spit is a type of bar or beach that develops where a re-entrant occurs, such as at a cove, bay, ria, or river mouth. Spits are formed by the movement of sediment (typically sand) along a shore by a process known as longshore drift. Where the direction of the shore turns inland (reenters) the longshore current spreads out or dissipates. No longer able to carry the full load, much of the sediment is dropped. This causes a bar to build out from the shore, eventually becoming a spit. ENVO ENVO:00000306 EcoLexicon:spit FTT:210 Geonames:T.SPIT SWEETRealm:Spit TGN:21465 bar spit