bit
(noun) the cutting part of a drill; usually pointed and threaded and is replaceable in a brace or bitstock or drill press; “he looked around for the right size bit”
bit
(noun) piece of metal held in horse’s mouth by reins and used to control the horse while riding; “the horse was not accustomed to a bit”
bit
(noun) the part of a key that enters a lock and lifts the tumblers
act, routine, number, turn, bit
(noun) a short performance that is part of a longer program; “he did his act three times every evening”; “she had a catchy little routine”; “it was one of the best numbers he ever did”
snatch, bit
(noun) a small fragment; “overheard snatches of their conversation”
piece, bit
(noun) an instance of some kind; “it was a nice piece of work”; “he had a bit of good luck”
morsel, bit, bite
(noun) a small amount of solid food; a mouthful; “all they had left was a bit of bread”
bit, chip, flake, fleck, scrap
(noun) a small fragment of something broken off from the whole; “a bit of rock caught him in the eye”
bit
(noun) a unit of measurement of information (from binary + digit); the amount of information in a system having two equiprobable states; “there are 8 bits in a byte”
spot, bit
(noun) a small piece or quantity of something; “a spot of tea”; “a bit of paper”; “a bit of lint”; “I gave him a bit of my mind”
moment, mo, minute, second, bit
(noun) an indefinitely short time; “wait just a moment”; “in a mo”; “it only takes a minute”; “in just a bit”
bite
(verb) penetrate or cut, as with a knife; “The fork bit into the surface”
sting, bite, prick
(verb) deliver a sting to; “A bee stung my arm yesterday”
bite, seize with teeth
(verb) to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws; “Gunny invariably tried to bite her”
bite, sting, burn
(verb) cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort; “The sun burned his face”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
bit (plural bits)
A piece of metal placed in a horse's mouth and connected to the reins to direct the animal.
A rotary cutting tool fitted to a drill, used to bore holes.
(dated, British) A coin of a specified value.
(obsolete, Canada) A ten-cent piece, dime.
(now, US) A unit of currency or coin in the Americas worth a fraction of a Spanish dollar; now specifically, an eighth of a US dollar.
(historical, US) In the southern and southwestern states, a small silver coin (such as the real) formerly current; commonly, one worth about 12½ cents; also, the sum of 12½ cents.
A small amount of something.
(informal) Specifically, a small amount of time.
(plural, informal, sports) Fractions of a second.
A portion of something.
Somewhat; something, but not very great; also used like jot and whit to express the smallest degree. See also a bit.
• T. Hook
(slang) A prison sentence, especially a short one.
An excerpt of material making up part of a show, comedy routine, etc.
A small part or role, sometimes with spoken lines, in a theatrical performance.
The part of a key which enters the lock and acts upon the bolt and tumblers.
The cutting iron of a plane.
The bevelled front edge of an axehead along which the cutting edge runs.
• (coin): coin, piece
• (small piece): morsel (of food), piece, scrap
• (portion): portion, share, segment
• (horse equipment): snaffle, pelham, kimberwicke
• (prison sentence): bid
bit (third-person singular simple present bits, present participle bitting, simple past and past participle bitted)
(transitive) To put a bridle upon; to put the bit in the mouth of (a horse).
See bite
bit
simple past tense of bite
(informal in US, archaic in UK) past participle of bite, bitten
bit (not comparable)
(colloquial) bitten.
(only in combination) Having been bitten.
bit (plural bits)
(mathematics, computing) A binary digit, generally represented as a 1 or 0.
(computing) The smallest unit of storage in a digital computer, consisting of a binary digit.
Synonym: b
(information theory, cryptography) Any datum that may take on one of exactly two values.
(information theory) A unit of measure for information entropy.
A microbitcoin, or a millionth of a bitcoin (0.000001 BTC).
• ITB, TBI, TiB, tib
Source: Wiktionary
Bit, n. Etym: [OE. bitt, bite, AS. bite, bite, fr. bitan to bite. See Bite, n. & v., and cf. Bit a morsel.]
1. The part of a bridle, usually of iron, which is inserted in the mouth of a horse, and having appendages to which the reins are fastened. Shak. The foamy bridle with the bit of gold. Chaucer.
2. Fig.: Anything which curbs or restrains.
Bit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bitted; p. pr. & vb. n. Bitting.]
Definition: To put a bridle upon; to put the bit in the mouth of.
Bit,
Definition: imp. & p. p. of Bite.
Bit, n. Etym: [OE. bite, AS. bita, fr. bitan to bite; akin to D. beet, G. bissen bit, morsel, Icel. biti. See Bite, v., and cf. Bit part of a bridle.]
1. A part of anything, such as may be bitten off or taken into the mouth; a morsel; a bite. Hence: A small piece of anything; a little; a mite.
2. Somewhat; something, but not very great. My young companion was a bit of a poet. T. Hook.
Note: This word is used, also, like jot and whit, to express the smallest degree; as, he is not a bit wiser.
3. A tool for boring, of various forms and sizes, usually turned by means of a brace or bitstock. See Bitstock.
4. The part of a key which enters the lock and acts upon the bolt and tumblers. Knight.
5. The cutting iron of a plane. Knight.
6. In the Southern and Southwestern States, a small silver coin (as the real) formerly current; commonly, one worth about 12 1/2 cents; also, the sum of 12 1/2 cents. Bit my bit, piecemeal. Pope.
Bit, 3d sing. pr.
Definition: of Bid, for biddeth. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bite, v. t. [imp. Bit; p. p. Bitten, Bit; p. pr. & vb. n. Biting.] Etym: [OE. biten, AS. bitan; akin to D. bijten, OS. bitan, OHG. bizan, G. beissen, Goth. beitan, Icel. bita, Sw. bita, Dan. bide, L. findere to cleave, Skr. bhid to cleave. sq. root87. Cf. Fissure.]
1. To seize with the teeth, so that they enter or nip the thing seized; to lacerate, crush, or wound with the teeth; as, to bite an apple; to bite a crust; the dog bit a man. Such smiling rogues as these, Like rats, oft bite the holy cords atwain. Shak.
2. To puncture, abrade, or sting with an organ (of some insects) used in taking food.
3. To cause sharp pain, or smarting, to; to hurt or injure, in a literal or a figurative sense; as, pepper bites the mouth. "Frosts do bite the meads." Shak.
4. To cheat; to trick; to take in. [Colloq.] Pope.
5. To take hold of; to hold fast; to adhere to; as, the anchor bites the ground. The last screw of the rack having been turned so often that its purchase crumbled, . . . it turned and turned with nothing to bite. Dickens. To bite the dust, To bite the ground, to fall in the agonies of death; as, he made his enemy bite the dust.
– To bite in (Etching), to corrode or eat into metallic plates by means of an acid.
– To bite the thumb at (any one), formerly a mark of contempt, designed to provoke a quarrel; to defy. "Do you bite your thumb at us " Shak.
– To bite the tongue, to keep silence. Shak.
Bite, v. i.
1. To seize something forcibly with the teeth; to wound with the teeth; to have the habit of so doing; as, does the dog bite
2. To cause a smarting sensation; to have a property which causes such a sensation; to be pungent; as, it bites like pepper or mustard.
3. To cause sharp pain; to produce anguish; to hurt or injure; to have the property of so doing. At the last it [wine] biteth like serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Prov. xxiii. 32.
4. To take a bait into the mouth, as a fish does; hence, to take a tempting offer.
5. To take or keep a firm hold; as, the anchor bites.
Bite, n. Etym: [OE. bite, bit, bitt, AS. bite bite, fr. bitan to bite, akin to Icel. bit, OS. biti, G. biss. See Bite, v., and cf. Bit.]
1. The act of seizing with the teeth or mouth; the act of wounding or separating with the teeth or mouth; a seizure with the teeth or mouth, as of a bait; as, to give anything a hard bite. I have known a very good fisher angle diligently four or six hours for a river carp, and not have a bite. Walton.
2. The act of puncturing or abrading with an organ for taking food, as is done by some insects.
3. The wound made by biting; as, the pain of a dog's or snake's bite; the bite of a mosquito.
4. A morsel; as much as is taken at once by biting.
5. The hold which the short end of a lever has upon the thing to be lifted, or the hold which one part of a machine has upon another.
6. A cheat; a trick; a fraud. [Colloq.] The baser methods of getting money by fraud and bite, by deceiving and overreaching. Humorist.
7. A sharper; one who cheats. [Slang] Johnson.
8. (Print.)
Definition: A blank on the edge or corner of a page, owing to a portion of the frisket, or something else, intervening between the type and paper.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
19 April 2024
(verb) hold in suspicion; believe to be guilty; “The U.S. suspected Bin Laden as the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
