See Also: bite rim(medicine)
wax bite(medicine)
Bite(health)
bite(1)(dictionary)
bite(2)(dictionary)
end-to-end bite(medicine)
bite(medicine)
rattlesnake bite(medicine)
rat-bite disease(medicine)
open bite(medicine)

bite(2) (iou)



bite verb. , (now arch. & non-standard) bit.
[Old English bitan = Old Frisian bita, Old Saxon bitan (Dutch bijten), Old High German bian (German beissen), Old Norse bita, Gothic beitan, from Germanic.]
verb trans. & intrans. Cut (into), pierce, nip, or wound with the teeth (verb intrans. habitually); take a bite (from); (with adverbial compl.) remove or sever by biting. OE.
I. Watts Let dogs delight to bark and bite. Day Lewis I bite into my chocolate. S. Beckett Takes carrot from coat pocket, bites off a piece. W. Maxwell My grandfather..was bitten on the ear by a rat or a ferret and died..of blood poisoning. D. M. Thomas She was..nibbling a cucumber sandwich (he glimpsed her small, pearly, even teeth as she bit).
verb trans. & intrans. Of something sharp or with a sharp edge: cut (into), penetrate. OE.
Tennyson Who heaved his blade aloft, And crack'd the helmet thro', and bit the bone. B. England The razor bit deeply in and the blood spouted startlingly. P. Matthiessen The thin straps bite at my shoulders.
verb trans. & intrans. Wound with mouthparts, the jaw, pincers, etc.; loosely (of a living creature) sting. ME.
Bible (AV): Proverbs 23:32 At the last it biteth like a serpent. G. B. Shaw He put his handkerchief round my neck because a gnat bit me.
verb trans. & intrans. Nibble, eat. ME-M17.
verb trans. & intrans. Cause a sharp (esp. smarting) pain (to). ME.
J. Lyly These medecines bite hot.
verb trans. & intrans. Speak sharply or deprecatingly (against); carp (at). ME-L17.
verb trans. & intrans. Engage (sympathy, interest, etc.); impress. arch. LME.
verb trans. & intrans. Of an implement, part of a mechanism, etc.: grip or take hold of (a surface etc.). E16.
b. verb intrans. spec. in Cricket. Of the ball: get a grip of the surface of the ground on pitching. M19.
verb trans. & intrans. Affect painfully or injuriously with intense cold. Cf. frost-bitten. M16.
verb trans. & intrans. Corrode, as an acid or alkali; act as a mordant (upon). E17.
J. Betjeman The chemicals from various factories Have bitten deep into the Portland stone.
verb intrans. Of a fish & fig.: take or be caught by bait; snap at bait. M17.
I. Walton He thought that Trout bit not for hunger but wantonness. T. Jefferson Do not bite at the bait of pleasure till you know there is no hook beneath it. M. Puzo 'It's a good story, you'll like it.' And she saw me bite.
verb trans. Deceive, swindle. Now only in pass. colloq. E18.
verb intrans. Have an (esp. adverse) effect; make an impression. E20.
verb trans. Borrow from (a person), esp. without intention or likelihood of repayment. (Foll. by for the thing borrowed.) Austral. slang. E20.
verb trans. Excite; worry, perturb. Esp. in what's biting you? colloq. (orig. US). E20.
Phrases: bite a person's head off, bite a person's nose off respond curtly or angrily. bite back restrain (speech) by an effort. bite by the nose: see NOSE noun. bite off more than one can chew (orig. US) undertake too much, be too ambitious. bite one's lip: see LIP noun. bite one's nails: see NAIL noun. bite on granite: see GRANITE noun. bite on the bullet, bite the bullet behave stoically, avoid showing fear or distress. bite the dust, bite the ground joc. & rhet. fall and die, come to an unfortunate end. bite the hand that feeds one injure a benefactor, act ungratefully. bite the thumb at: see THUMB noun. bitten with infected by (enthusiasm etc.). something to bite on fig. a problem to work on or think seriously about. the biter bit the deceiver deceived in turn.