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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Bite \Bite\ (b[imac]t), verb (used with an object) [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}.]
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.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Bitten \Bit"ten\, p. p. of {Bite}.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Bitten \Bit"ten\, adjective (Bot.) Terminating abruptly, as if bitten off; premorse.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
bite
noun
1: a wound resulting from biting by an animal or a person
2: a small amount of solid food; a mouthful; "all they had left was a bit of bread" [syn: {morsel}, {bit}]
3: a painful wound caused by the thrust of an insect's stinger into skin [syn: {sting}, {insect bite}]
4: a light informal meal [syn: {collation}, {snack}]
5: (angling) an instance of a fish taking the bait; "after fishing for an hour he still had not had a bite"
6: wit having a sharp and caustic quality; "he commented with typical pungency"; "the bite of satire" [syn: {pungency}]
7: a strong odor or taste property; "the pungency of mustard"; "the sulfurous bite of garlic"; "the sharpness of strange spices" [syn: {pungency}, {sharpness}]
8: the act of gripping or chewing off with the teeth and jaws [syn: {chomp}]
9: a portion removed from the whole; "the government's weekly bite from my paycheck"
verb
1: to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws; "Gunny invariably tried to bite her" [syn: {seize with teeth}]
2: cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort; "The sun burned his face" [syn: {sting}, {burn}]
3: penetrate or cut, as with a knife; "The fork bit into the surface"
4: deliver a sting to; "A bee stung my arm yesterday" [syn: {sting}, {prick}] [also: {bitten}, {bit}]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
bitten See {bite}
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |