Adjacent Words

Bit definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BIT, n. The iron part of a bridle which is inserted in the mouth of a horse,and its appendages, to which the reins are fastened. It includes the bit mouth, the branches, the curb, the sevel holes, the tranchefil and cross chains. Bits are of various kinds, as the musrol, snaffle,or watering bit; the canon mouth, jointed in the middle; the canon or fast mouth, all of a piece, kneed in the middle; the scatch-mouth; the masticador,or slavering bit; etc.
BIT, v.t. To put a bridle upon a horse; to put the bit in the mouth.
BIT, pret. and pp. of bite. Seized or wounded by the teeth.
BIT, n. A small piece; a mouthful, or morsel; a bite.
1. A small piece of any substance.
3. A small coin of the West Indies, a half pistareen, about ten cents, or five pence sterling.
4. The point of an auger, or other borer; the bite.
This word is used, like jot and whit, to express the smallest degree; as, he is not a bit wiser or better.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: 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" [syn: spot, bit]
2: a small fragment of something broken off from the whole; "a bit of rock caught him in the eye" [syn: bit, chip, flake, fleck, scrap]
3: an indefinitely short time; "wait just a moment"; "in a mo"; "it only takes a minute"; "in just a bit" [syn: moment, mo, minute, second, bit]
4: an instance of some kind; "it was a nice piece of work"; "he had a bit of good luck" [syn: piece, bit]
5: 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"
6: 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"
7: a small amount of solid food; a mouthful; "all they had left was a bit of bread" [syn: morsel, bit, bite]
8: a small fragment; "overheard snatches of their conversation" [syn: snatch, bit]
9: a short theatrical 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" [syn: act, routine, number, turn, bit]
10: the part of a key that enters a lock and lifts the tumblers
11: 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"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English bitt, from Old English bite act of biting; akin to Old English b?tan bite Date: 14th century 1. a. (1) the biting or cutting edge or part of a tool (2) a replaceable part of a compound tool that actually performs the function (as drilling or boring) for which the whole tool is designed b. plural the jaws of tongs or pincers 2. something bitten or held with the teeth: a. the usually steel part of a bridle inserted in the mouth of a horse b. the rimmed mouth end on the stem of a pipe or cigar holder 3. something that curbs or restrains 4. the part of a key that enters the lock and acts on the bolt and tumblers II. transitive verb (bitted; bitting) Date: 1583 1. a. to put a bit in the mouth of (a horse) b. to control as if with a bit 2. to form a bit on (a key) III. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English bita; akin to Old English b?tan bite Date: before 12th century 1. a small quantity of food; especially a small delicacy 2. a. a small piece or quantity of some material thing b. (1) a small coin (2) a unit of value equal to 1/8 of a dollar 3. something small or unimportant of its kind: as a. a brief period ; while <wait a bit longer> b. an indefinite usually small degree, extent, or amount <a bit of a rascal> <every bit as powerful> c. (1) a small part usually with spoken lines in a theatrical performance (2) a usually short theatrical routine <a corny comedy bit> 4. the aggregate of items, situations, or activities appropriate to a given style, genre, or role <rejected the whole bit about love-marriage-motherhood — Vance Packard> IV. noun Etymology: binary digit Date: 1948 1. a unit of computer information equivalent to the result of a choice between two alternatives (as yes or no, on or off) 2. the physical representation of a bit by an electrical pulse, a magnetized spot, or a hole whose presence or absence indicates data

Britannica Concise

In communication and information theory, a unit of information equivalent to the result of a choice between only two possible alternatives, such as 1 and 0 in the binary number system generally used in digital computers. It is also applied to a unit of memory corresponding to the ability to store the result of a choice between two alternatives. A byte consists of a string of eight consecutive bits and makes up the basic information processing unit of a computer. Because a byte includes only an amount of information equivalent to one letter or one symbol (e.g., a comma), the processing and storage capacities of computer hardware are usually given in kilobytes (1,024 bytes), megabytes (1,048,576 bytes), and even gigabytes (about 1 billion bytes) and terabytes (1 trillion bytes).

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. 1 a small piece or quantity (a bit of cheese; give me another bit; that bit is too small). 2 (prec. by a) a a fair amount (sold quite a bit; needed a bit of persuading). b colloq. somewhat (am a bit tired). c (foll. by of) colloq. rather (a bit of an idiot). d (foll. by of) colloq. only a little; a mere (a bit of a boy). 3 a short time or distance (wait a bit; move up a bit). 4 US sl. a unit of 121/2 cents (used only in even multiples). Phrases and idioms: bit by bit gradually. bit of all right sl. a pleasing person or thing, esp. a woman. bit of fluff (or skirt or stuff) see FLUFF, SKIRT, STUFF. bit on the side sl. an extramarital sexual relationship. bit part a minor part in a play or a film. bits and pieces (or bobs) an assortment of small items. do one's bit colloq. make a useful contribution to an effort or cause. every bit as see EVERY. not a bit (or not a bit of it) not at all. to bits into pieces. Etymology: OE bita f. Gmc, rel. to BITE 2. past of BITE. 3. n. & v. --n. 1 a metal mouthpiece on a bridle, used to control a horse. 2 a (usu. metal) tool or piece for boring or drilling. 3 the cutting or gripping part of a plane, pincers, etc. 4 the part of a key that engages with the lock-lever. 5 the copper head of a soldering-iron. --v.tr. 1 put a bit into the mouth of (a horse). 2 restrain. Phrases and idioms: take the bit between one's teeth 1 take decisive personal action. 2 escape from control. Etymology: OE bite f. Gmc, rel. to BITE 4. n. Computing a unit of information expressed as a choice between two possibilities; a 0 or 1 in binary notation. Etymology: BINARY + DIGIT

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bit Bit, n. In the British West Indies, a fourpenny piece, or groat.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

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

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bit Bit, n. [OE. bitt, bite, AS. bite, bite, fr. b[=i]tan 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bit 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

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

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bit Bit, n. [OE. bite, AS. bita, fr. b[=i]tan 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bite Bite, v. t. [imp. Bit; p. p. Bitten, Bit; p. pr. & vb. n. Biting.] [OE. biten, AS. b[=i]tan; akin to D. bijten, OS. b[=i]tan, OHG. b[=i]zan, G. beissen, Goth. beitan, Icel. b[=i]ta, Sw. bita, Dan. bide, L. findere to cleave, Skr. bhid to cleave. [root]87. 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bite Bite, v. t. [imp. Bit; p. p. Bitten, Bit; p. pr. & vb. n. Biting.] [OE. biten, AS. b[=i]tan; akin to D. bijten, OS. b[=i]tan, OHG. b[=i]zan, G. beissen, Goth. beitan, Icel. b[=i]ta, Sw. bita, Dan. bide, L. findere to cleave, Skr. bhid to cleave. [root]87. 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.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(bits) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. A bit of something is a small amount of it. All it required was a bit of work... I got paid a little bit of money. QUANT: QUANT of n-uncount 2. A bit means to a small extent or degree. It is sometimes used to make a statement less extreme. This girl was a bit strange... She looks a bit like his cousin Maureen... That sounds a bit technical... Isn't that a bit harsh? = slightly PHRASE: PHR adj/adv/prep [vagueness] 3. You can use a bit of to make a statement less forceful. For example, the statement 'It's a bit of a nuisance' is less forceful than 'It's a nuisance'. It's all a bit of a mess... This comes as a bit of a disappointment. PHRASE: PHR n [vagueness] 4. Quite a bit means quite a lot. They're worth quite a bit of money... Things have changed quite a bit... He's quite a bit older than me. PHRASE: PHR of n, PHR after v, PHR compar 5. You use a bit before 'more' or 'less' to mean a small amount more or a small amount less. I still think I have a bit more to offer... Maybe we'll hear a little bit less noise. PHRASE: PHR more/less 6. If you do something a bit, you do it for a short time. In British English, you can also say that you do something for a bit. Let's wait a bit... I hope there will be time to talk a bit... That should keep you busy for a bit. PHRASE: PHR with v 7. A bit of something is a small part or section of it. (mainly BRIT) That's the bit of the meeting that I missed... Now comes the really important bit... The best bit was walking along the glacier. = part N-COUNT: with supp, oft N of n 8. A bit of something is a small piece of it. (mainly BRIT) Only a bit of string looped round a nail in the doorpost held it shut. ...crumpled bits of paper. = piece N-COUNT: usu N of n 9. You can use bit to refer to a particular item or to one of a group or set of things. For example, a bit of information is an item of information. There was one bit of vital evidence which helped win the case... Not one single bit of work has been started towards the repair of this road. N-COUNT: usu N of n 10. In computing, a bit is the smallest unit of information that is held in a computer's memory. It is either 1 or 0. Several bits form a byte. N-COUNT 11. A bit is 12½ cents; mainly used in expressions such as two bits, which means 25 cents, or four bits, which means 50 cents. (AM) N-COUNT 12. Bit is the past tense of bite. 13. If something happens bit by bit, it happens in stages. Bit by bit I began to understand what they were trying to do. PHRASE: PHR with v 14. If someone is champing at the bit or is chomping at the bit, they are very impatient to do something, but they are prevented from doing it, usually by circumstances that they have no control over. I expect you're champing at the bit, so we'll get things going as soon as we can. PHRASE: V inflects 15. If you do your bit, you do something that, to a small or limited extent, helps to achieve something. Marcie always tried to do her bit. PHRASE: V inflects 16. You say that one thing is every bit as good, interesting, or important as another to emphasize that the first thing is just as good, interesting, or important as the second. My dinner jacket is every bit as good as his. PHRASE: PHR adj/adv [emphasis] 17. If you say that something is a bit much, you are annoyed because you think someone has behaved in an unreasonable way. (mainly BRIT INFORMAL) It's a bit much expecting me to dump your boyfriend for you. PHRASE: v-link PHR [feelings] 18. You use not a bit when you want to make a strong negative statement. (mainly BRIT) I'm really not a bit surprised... 'Are you disappointed?' 'Not a bit.' PHRASE [emphasis] 19. You say not a bit of it to emphasize that something that you might expect to be the case is not the case. (BRIT) Did he give up? Not a bit of it! PHRASE [emphasis] 20. You can use bits and pieces or bits and bobs to refer to a collection of different things. (INFORMAL) PHRASE 21. If you get the bit between your teeth, or take the bit between your teeth, you become very enthusiastic about a job you have to do. PHRASE: V inflects 22. If something is smashed or blown to bits, it is broken into a number of pieces. If something falls to bits, it comes apart so that it is in a number of pieces. She found a pretty yellow jug smashed to bits. PHRASE: PHR after v 23. thrilled to bits: see thrilled

Easton's Bible Dictionary

the curb put into the mouths of horses to restrain them. The Hebrew word (metheg) so rendered in Ps. 32:9 is elsewhere translated "bridle" (2 Kings 19:28; Prov. 26:3; Isa. 37:29). Bits were generally made of bronze or iron, but sometimes also of gold or silver. In James 3:3 the Authorized Version translates the Greek word by "bits," but the Revised Version by "bridles."

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Mouthful, morsel, crumb, fragment, scrap, piece, small piece. 2. Whit, tittle, jot, iota, particle, atom, grain, mite, ace, scintilla. 3. Bridle-bit, mouth-piece. 4. Boring-tool, borer. 5. Coin (of small value), piece. II. v. a. Bridle, get the bits on.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

Money. He grappled the cull's bit; he seized the man's money. A bit is also the smallest coin in Jamaica, equal to about sixpence sterling.

Moby Thesaurus

ALGOL, COBOL, EDP, FORTRAN, a breath, a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn, a hoot, ace, act, actor, aculeus, acumination, afterpiece, allotment, allowance, alphabetic data, alphanumeric code, anchor watch, angular data, antagonist, antihero, arrest, assembler, atom, auger, back band, backstrap, bagatelle, bauble, bean, bearing rein, bellyband, bibelot, big end, bigger half, binary digit, binary scale, binary system, bit part, bite, blinders, blinds, borer, bowshot, brake, brass farthing, breeching, bridle, brief span, budget, bug, butt, button, byte, caparison, cast, cavesson, cent, chain, channel, character, chaser, check, checkrein, cheekpiece, chinband, chip, chock, chunk, cinch, cipher, clip, clipping, clog, close quarters, close range, collar, collop, command pulses, commands, commission, communication explosion, communication theory, compiler, computer code, computer language, computer program, constrain, contingent, control signals, controlled quantity, correcting signals, countercheck, crack, crownband, crumb, crupper, cue, curb, curb bit, curio, curtain, curtain call, curtain raiser, cusp, cut, cutting, dab, damper, data, data retrieval, data storage, day shift, deal, decoding, destiny, digit, divertimento, divertissement, dividend, dogwatch, dole, dollop, doorstop, dot, drag, drag sail, dram, dribble, driblet, drift anchor, drift sail, drill, drogue, drop, dwarf, earreach, earshot, electronic data processing, encoding, end, entropy, epilogue, equal share, error, error signals, exode, exodus, expository scene, farce, farthing, fat part, fate, feather, feedback pulses, feedback signals, feeder, fetter, fig, figure, film data, finale, fleabite, fleck, flyspeck, folderol, fragment, fribble, frippery, full time, gag swivel, gaud, gewgaw, gimcrack, girth, gob, gobbet, grain, granule, graveyard shift, groat, gunshot, hackamore, hair, hair space, hairbreadth, hairsbreadth, half, half rations, half time, halfpenny, halter, halver, hames, hametugs, handful, harness, headgear, headstall, heavy, helping, hero, heroine, hexadecimal system, hill of beans, hip straps, hoke act, hold back, hold down, hold in, holdback, hunk, inch, information, information explosion, information theory, ingenue, inhibit, input data, input quantity, instant, instructions, interest, interlude, intermezzo, intermission, introduction, iota, jaquima, jerk line, jest, joke, jot, kickshaw, knickknack, knickknackery, lead, lead role, leading lady, leading man, leading woman, lines, little, little bit, little ways, little while, lobster trick, lot, lota, lump, machine language, martingale, measure, meed, mere subsistence, mess, message, minikin, minim, minimum, minutiae, mite, mockery, modicum, moiety, molecule, molehill, moment, morsel, mote, mouthful, mucro, multiple messages, neb, needle, nib, night shift, no time, noise, noseband, notation, number, numeral, numeric data, numero, nutshell, octal system, oscillograph data, ounce, output data, output quantity, overtime, pair of winks, paring, part, part time, particle, pebble, pelham, peppercorn, percentage, person, personage, picayune, piece, pin, pinch, pinch of snuff, pinprick, pistol shot, pittance, play, point, polar data, pole strap, portion, prick, prickle, prologue, proportion, protagonist, punch-card data, quantum, quota, rake-off, random data, rap, rasher, ration, rectangular data, red cent, redundancy, reference quantity, reins, relay, remora, ribbons, role, routine, row of pins, ruly English, rush, saddle, scene, scoop, scotch, scrap, scrimption, scruple, sea anchor, segment, shackle, shaft tug, shard, share, shaving, shift, shit, shiver, short allowance, short commons, short distance, short piece, short spell, short time, short way, shred, shtick, side, side check, sign, signal, signals, single messages, sketch, skit, slice, sliver, small share, small space, smidgen, smitch, smithereen, snack, snaffle, snap, snatch, sneeshing, snip, snippet, song and dance, sou, soubrette, space, span, speck, spell, spitting distance, splinter, split schedule, split shift, spoke, spoonful, spot, spurt, stake, stand-up comedy act, starvation wages, stay, step, sting, stint, stitch, stock, stop, straight part, straw, stretch, striptease, stump, sunrise watch, supporting character, supporting role, surcingle, swing shift, symbol, tack, tackle, tatter, thimbleful, time, tiny bit, tip, title role, tittle, tour, tour of duty, toy, trammel, trappings, trick, trifle, trifling amount, trinket, trivia, triviality, tug, tuppence, turn, turn of work, two cents, two shakes, twopence, unorganized data, villain, visible-speech data, walk-on, walking part, watch, whet, whim-wham, whit, winker braces, withhold, work shift, yoke