Bite

Bite
Bite Bite (b[imac]t), v. t. [imp. {Bit} (b[i^]t); p. p. {Bitten} (b[i^]t"t'n), {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}.] [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. [1913 Webster]

Such smiling rogues as these, Like rats, oft bite the holy cords atwain. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. To puncture, abrade, or sting with an organ (of some insects) used in taking food. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

4. To cheat; to trick; to take in. [Colloq.] --Pope. [1913 Webster]

5. To take hold of; to hold fast; to adhere to; as, the anchor bites the ground. [1913 Webster]

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]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • bite — ou bitte [ bit ] n. f. • 1584; du norm. bitter « boucher », de l a. scand. bita « mordre » ♦ Vulg. Pénis. ⊗ HOM. Beat, bit, bitte. ● bitte ou bite nom féminin (ancien français abiter, copuler, de bitter à, toucher à, de l ancien scandinave bita,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Bite — Bite, n. [OE. bite, bit, bitt, AS. bite bite, fr. b[=i]tan 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bite — ► VERB (past bit; past part. bitten) 1) use the teeth to cut into something. 2) (of a snake, insect, or spider) wound with a sting, pincers, or fangs. 3) (of a fish) take the bait or lure on the end of a fishing line into the mouth. 4) (of a tool …   English terms dictionary

  • bite — bite, gnaw, champ, gnash are comparable when they mean to attack with or as if with the teeth. Bite fundamentally implies a getting of the teeth, especially the front teeth, into something so as to grip, pierce, or tear off {bite an apple deeply} …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • bite — [baɪt] noun [countable] COMPUTING another spelling of byte * * * Ⅰ. bite UK US /baɪt/ verb [I] ● start/begin to bite Cf. start/begin to bite …   Financial and business terms

  • Bite Me — is typically used as an idiomatic expression of discontent or aggravation toward another party. It may also refer to: * Bite Me , a song by Detroit based rock band Electric Six on their second album Senor Smoke * Bite Me (song), a song from the… …   Wikipedia

  • BiTE — (acronym for bi specific T cell engagers ), a class of specific modified antibodies that direct a host s T cells cytotoxic activity against diseased cells (e.g cancer cells).Several products that have come under close scrutiny in a few… …   Wikipedia

  • bite — [bīt] vt. bit [bit] bitten [bit′ n] or biting [ME biten < OE bītan < IE base * bheid , to split, crack > BEETLE1, BITTER, L findere, to split (see FISSION)] …   English World dictionary

  • bite — [n1] injury from gripping, tearing chaw*, chomp*, gob*, itch*, laceration, nip, pain, pinch, prick, smarting, sting, tooth marks*, wound; concept 309 bite [n2] mouthful of food brunch, drop, light meal, morsel, nibble, nosh*, piece, refreshment,… …   New thesaurus

  • bite at — ˈbite at [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they bite at he/she/it bites at past tense bit at past participle bitten at] …   Useful english dictionary

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