GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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Found 8 definitions 

  1.       

    Bit , n. [OE. bitt, bite, AS. bite, bite, fr. bītan 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.

      1913 Webster
      The foamy bridle with the bit of gold.
      Chaucer.

      1913 Webster
    2. Fig.: Anything which curbs or restrains.
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  2.       

    Bit, n. In the British West Indies, a fourpenny piece, or groat.
    Webster 1913 Suppl.
    
      
    
  3.       

    Bit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bitted ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bitting.] To put a bridle upon; to put the bit in the mouth of.
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  4.       

    Bit, imp. & p. p. of Bite.
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  5.       

    Bit, n. [OE. bite, AS. bita, fr. bītan 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.
      1913 Webster
    2. Somewhat; something, but not very great.
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      My young companion was a bit of a poet.
      T. Hook.

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      ☞ This word is used, also, like jot and whit, to express the smallest degree; as, he is not a bit wiser.
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    3. A tool for boring, of various forms and sizes, usually turned by means of a brace or bitstock. See Bitstock.
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    4. The part of a key which enters the lock and acts upon the bolt and tumblers.
      Knight.

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    5. The cutting iron of a plane.
      Knight.

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    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.
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  6.       

    Bit (Information theory, Computers) [binary digit.] n.
    1. The smallest unit of information, equivalent to a choice between two alternatives, as yes or no; on or off. See also qubit.
      PJC
    2. (Computers) The physical representation of a bit of information in a computer memory or a data storage medium. Within a computer circuit a bit may be represented by the state of a current or an electrical charge; in a magnetic storage medium it may be represented by the direction of magnetization; on a punched card or on paper tape it may be represented by the presence or absence of a hole at a particular point on the card or tape.
      PJC
      Bit my bit, piecemeal.
      Pope.

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  7.       

    Bit, 3d sing. pr. of Bid, for biddeth. [Obs.]
    Chaucer.

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  8.       

    Bite , v. t. [imp. Bit ; p. p. Bitten , Bit; p. pr. & vb. n. Biting.] [OE. biten, AS. bītan; akin to D. bijten, OS. bītan, OHG. bīzan, G. beissen, Goth. beitan, Icel. bīta, Sw. bita, Dan. bide, L. findere to cleave, Skr. bhid to cleave. √87. Cf. Fissure.]
    1913 Webster
    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.
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      Such smiling rogues as these,
      Like rats, oft bite the holy cords atwain.
      Shak.

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    2. To puncture, abrade, or sting with an organ (of some insects) used in taking food.
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    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.

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    4. To cheat; to trick; to take in. [Colloq.]
      Pope.

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    5. To take hold of; to hold fast; to adhere to; as, the anchor bites the ground.
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      The last screw of the rack having been turned so often that its purchase crumbled, . . . it turned and turned with nothing to bite.
      Dickens.

      1913 Webster
      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.
      1913 Webster

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